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Feb 19, 2009 11:56 AM

The truck-involved fatality rate in 2007 declined 5.8 percent from the year before, according to information from the American Trucking Association (ATA).

"This achievement is great for all of us who travel our nation's highways," said Bill Graves, ATA president and chief executive officer. "The trucking industry remains committed to safety and ATA will continue to advance its aggressive safety agenda in an effort to continue this outstanding trend."

ATA noted figures released by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that indicate the reduction to 2.12 per 100 million miles from 2.25 per 100 million miles in 2006.

Since new hours-of-service (HOS) regulations took effect in 2005, the truck-involved fatality rate has come down more than 10 percent and is at its lowest since records began to be kept in 1975, ATA pointed out.

The truck-involved fatal crash rate and the truck-occupant fatality rate also declined from 2006 to 2007. The truck-involved fatal crash rate declined 4.5 percent to 1.85 per 100 million miles and the truck-occupant fatality rate declined 1.98 percent to 0.35 per 100 million miles.

The crash rates are based on FHWA figures that report vehicle miles traveled by truck increased in 2007 to 226.96 billion miles from 222.5 billion in 2006. During that same time, the actual number of truck-involved fatal crashes fell to 4,190 from 4,321.

ATA pointed out that the association unveiled a highway safety agenda in October 2008 designed to further reduce the number of highway-related fatalities and injuries for all drivers on the nation's highways.

The 18 safety recommendations include promoting greater safety belt use by commercial drivers; re-instituting a national maximum speed limit; speed governing of all trucks; and a decade-long initiative to create a national clearinghouse for drug and alcohol test results.