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Sep 22, 2010 9:48 AM

The number of truck-involved traffic fatalities declined 20% in 2009, dropping from 4,245 in 2008 to 3,380 in 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. This reduction is the lowest level in recorded Department of Transportation history and also shows a 33% decrease in fatalities since the improved hours-of-service regulations first became effective in January 2004.

“These latest figures illustrate the trucking industry’s deep commitment to improving highway safety,” said Bill Graves, American Trucking Associations (ATA) president and chief executive officer. “ATA will continue to advance its progressive safety agenda in an effort to further this outstanding trend.”

With the assistance of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration through improved hours-of-service regulations first implemented in 2004, the trucking industry has seen dramatic drops in crash-related fatalities and injuries, and remarkably improved crash rates.

“Greater rest opportunities for drivers under the 2004 hours-of-service rules and a more circadian-friendly approach to a driver’s work-rest cycle have helped truck drivers achieve these exceptional results,” said Graves.

The number of truck occupant deaths decreased 26% in 2009, from 682 in 2008 to 503 in 2009. The number of truck occupants injured in truck-related crashes also declined 26%. Those are the largest declines among all vehicle categories.

The overall number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States decreased 9.7% from 37,423 in 2008 to 33,808 in 2009, the lowest level since 1950. That record-breaking decline in traffic fatalities is especially remarkable because preliminary estimates show vehicle miles traveled in 2009 increased by 0.2% from 2008.