NHTSA: Truck-related fatalities rise 5.4% in 2016

The number of fatalities involving large trucks in the United States totaled 4,317 in 2016, a 5.4 percent increase from 2015, according to a recent report from the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).    The number of fatalities involving large trucks in the United States increased 5.4 percent in 2016 compared with the prior year to 4,317 fatalities, according to a recent report from the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
   Of those fatalities, 16.7 percent were occupants of large trucks, 10.8 percent were non-occupants, and 72.4 percent were occupants of other vehicles.
   In total, there were 37,461 people killed in crashes on U.S. roadways in 2016, an increase of 5.6 percent from 2015. The highest number of lives lost on U.S. roads in 2016 were in Texas, with 3,776 fatalities, followed by California with 3,623 fatalities, Florida with 3,174 fatalities, Georgia with 1,554 fatalities and North Carolina with 1,450 fatalities.
   Between 2015 and 2016, NHTSA found that distracted driving and drowsy driving fatalities declined, while deaths related to speeding, alcohol impairment and not wearing seatbelts continued to increase.
   The number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on U.S. roads in 2016 inched up 2.2 percent from 2015, and resulted in a fatality rate of 1.18 deaths per 100 million VMT, a 2.6 percent increase.