Truck Crash Profile:

The National Picture 1997

> Drafted by:
>
> Analysis Division, HIA-20
>
> Office of Motor Carriers

Federal Highway Administration

> September 1998

**For more
information:**![](media/image1.wmf){width="0.5694444444444444in"
height="0.4270833333333333in"}

Information on truck crashes and the nature and results of Office of
Motor Carriers safety programs is available from the Office of Motor
Carrier Information Analysis, Analysis Division (HIA-20), 400 Seventh
Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590.

Questions about this profile and the availability of other reports on
OMC crash data should be directed to Ralph Craft, Analysis Division
staff, at (202) 366-0324, or Scott Valentine at (202) 366-6236. The
general number for the Analysis Division is (202) 366-1861. Send FAX
messages to (202) 366-8842.

***Executive Summary***

-   In 1997 there were 4,871 large trucks involved in **fatal** crashes.
    There were also an estimated 97,000 large trucks involved in
    **injury** crashes, and 342,000 involved in **property-damage-only**
    crashes.

-   Large trucks in 1997 accounted for 9 percent of the vehicles
    involved in **fatal** crashes, 2 percent of those involved in
    **injury** crashes, and 4 percent of the vehicles involved in
    **property-damage-only** crashes.

-   Sixty-three percent of the trucks involved in 1997 **fatal**
    crashes, and about 50 percent of those involved in **non-fatal**
    crashes were tractors pulling single semi-trailers. Four percent of
    the trucks involved in **fatal** crashes were doubles, and 0.3
    percent were triples. Less than 5 percent of the trucks involved in
    **fatal** and **non-fatal** crashes were transporting hazardous
    materials.

-   The crash rate (number of crash-involved vehicles per 100 million
    vehicle miles traveled) for large trucks in **fatal** crashes is
    slightly higher than the rate for passenger vehicles. The crash rate
    for passenger vehicles involved in **injury** crashes, however, is
    more than three times the rate for large trucks.

-   In two-vehicle **fatal** crashes between a large truck and a
    passenger vehicle in 1997, 7 percent of the truck drivers were under
    26 years old, and only 2 percent of the truck drivers were over 65.
    By contrast 24 percent of the passenger vehicle drivers in these
    crashes were under 26 years old, and 20 percent were over 65.

-   In two-vehicle **fatal** crashes between a large truck and a
    passenger vehicle, less than 1 percent of the truck drivers had a
    blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.10 grams per deciliter or
    greater, the level for intoxication in most States. By contrast 15
    percent of passenger vehicle drivers in these **fatal** crashes with
    a truck had a BAC level of 0.10 or greater.

-   Driver-related crash factors were coded for 28 percent of truck
    drivers involved in a **fatal** crash with a single passenger
    vehicle. However, driver-related crash factors were coded for 80
    percent of the passenger vehicle drivers involved in these crashes.

-   A large majority of 1997 **fatal** and **non-fatal** truck crashes
    occurred in good weather, on dry road surfaces, during the day, and
    on weekdays.

-   The first harmful event in 78 percent of **fatal** large truck
    crashes was the collision of the truck with another moving vehicle.
    More than half of the first crash events for trucks involved in
    **non-fatal** crashes were collisions with another vehicle in
    transport.

-   **None of the available data addresses crash causation or fault.
    Thus, the data can only be suggestive as to the reasons for truck
    crashes.**

**Contents** Page

Introduction ­1

Profile Data Sources 1

Levels of Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Profile Outline 2

I. Overview and Trends 3

II\. Vehicles 7

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating . 9

Hazardous Materials Cargo 9

III\. Drivers 13

Driver Age 13

Driver License Status 14

Driver Condition 15

Driver Restraint Use 15

Driver Alcohol Use 16

People Killed and Injured in Large Truck Crashes 17

Driver Crash Factors 15

A Note of Caution 23

IV\. Environment 25

Weather and Road Surface Conditions 25

Light, Time of Day, and Day of Week 26

Crash Roadways 29

V. Crash 31

Geographic Location 31

Crash Events 31

Type of Crash 33

VI\. Motor Carriers 35

VII\. MCMIS Crash File Progress 37

**List of Tables** Page

[I. Overview and Trends]{.underline}

1\. Motor Vehicles Involved in Crashes 3

2\. Vehicle Fatal Crash Involvement Rates for Large Trucks and Passenger
Vehicles 4

3\. Vehicle Injury Crash Involvement Rates for Large Trucks and
Passenger Vehicles 5

4\. Fatalities and Injuries in Large Truck Crashes 6

[II. Vehicles]{.underline}

5\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Vehicle Configuration 7

6\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Cargo Body Type 8

7\. Trucks Involved in Crashes by Gross Vehicle Weight Rating 9

8\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes Carrying Hazardous Materials 10

9\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes that Released Hazardous Materials
Cargo 10

10\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Class of Hazardous Materials
Leakage 11

[III. Drivers]{.underline}

11\. Drivers in Two-Vehicle Crashes Involving a Large Truck and a

Passenger Vehicle by Driver Age 13

12\. Driver Safety Belt Use in Crashes Between Large Trucks and
Passenger Vehicles 15

13\. Driver Alcohol Use in Crashes Between Large Trucks and Passenger
Vehicles 16

14\. People Killed and Injured in Large Truck Crashes 17

15\. Driver-Related Factors in Fatal Crashes between a Large Truck and a
Passenger Vehicle 20

16\. Driver-Related Factors in Single-Vehicle Fatal Crashes 21

17\. Passenger Vehicle Driver-Related Factors: Fatal Crashes Between

Two Passenger Vehicles 22

[IV. Environment]{.underline}

18\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Weather Condition 25

19\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Road Surface Condition 26

20\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Light Condition 27

21\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Time of Day 27

22\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Day of Week 28

23\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Roadway Type 29

24\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Type of Trafficway 30

[V. Crash]{.underline}

25\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by First Harmful of First Crash
Event 32

26\. Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Initial Impact Area 33

[VII. MCMIS Crash File Progress]{.underline}

27\. Large Trucks in 1997 Fatal Crashes by State: FARS vs. MCMIS Crash
File 38

**Introduction**

This National Truck Crash Profile contains descriptive statistics about
fatal and non-fatal (injury and property-damage-only) large truck
crashes that occurred in 1997. The profile includes only some of the
major aspects of truck crashes. Additional crash data on trucks, truck
drivers, and motor carriers can be obtained from the Office of Motor
Carriers.

[Profile Data Sources]{.underline}

The following are the major sources of the data included in the profile.
Several other sources used sparingly are referred to in the profile
text.

**Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)** \-- maintained by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The FARS is a
census of crashes involving any motor vehicle traveling on a public
trafficway, *but only fatal crashes*. The FARS is a very reliable
national crash database. There were 4,871 large trucks involved in fatal
crashes in 1997. A large truck is defined in the FARS as a truck with a
gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of more than 10,000 pounds.

**General Estimates System (GES)** \-- also maintained by the NHTSA. The
GES is a probability-based, nationally-representative sample of all
police-reported fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes. The
data presented from the GES file are national estimates, calculated
using an appropriate weighting variable. The GES data cannot be broken
down by States, since the crash cases drawn are aimed only at obtaining
a valid national sample. Furthermore, since GES is a sample file,
estimates are subject to sampling error. According to the GES there were
an estimated 444,000 large trucks involved in crashes reported to police
in 1997. The GES definition of a large truck is the same as the FARS
definition.

**Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Crash File** \--
maintained by the Office of Motor Carriers (OMC) of the Federal Highway
Administration. The MCMIS Crash File includes the National Governors'
Association (NGA) recommended data elements collected on trucks and
buses involved in crashes that meet the NGA recommended crash threshold.
An NGA reportable crash must involve a truck (a vehicle designed, used,
or maintained primarily for carrying property that has at least two
axles and six tires) or a bus (a vehicle with seats for at least sixteen
people, including the driver). The crash must result in at least one
fatality; one injury where the person injured is taken to a medical
facility for immediate medical attention; or one vehicle having been
towed from the scene as a result of disabling damage suffered in the
crash. The crashes are reported by States to the OMC through the
SAFETYNET computer reporting system.

The Crash File is intended to be a census of trucks and buses involved
in fatal, injury, and towaway crashes, but some States do not report all
NGA-eligible crashes. For 1997, States reported 96,585 trucks involved
in crashes through SAFETYNET to the MCMIS crash file. According to 1997
GES estimates, 444,000 large trucks were involved in crashes. When the
trucks involved in injury and property-damage-only crashes that do not
meet the NGA crash criteria are subtracted, there were an estimated
155,000 trucks involved in crashes that should have been reported to the
OMC. Thus, the OMC received reports on about 62 percent (96,585 out of
155,000) of the trucks involved in 1997 NGA reportable crashes.

Over half the MCMIS Crash File non-fatal truck cases are injury crashes.
By contrast less than one-fourth of GES non-fatal crashes involved an
injury. Over 75 percent of GES non-fatal crashes were
property-damage-only crashes \-- many where no vehicles were towed from
the scene. Thus, it may be assumed that the typical GES crash is less
severe than the typical MCMIS crash.

[Profile Outline]{.underline}

The "fatal" columns of the profile tables usually are FARS data. In the
few cases where there are no FARS data, the fatal data come from the
MCMIS fatal crash file. The "non-fatal" columns include data from MCMIS
and GES. Some tables contain only FARS and MCMIS data, when GES data are
not available. The profile has seven sections: Overview and Trends,
Vehicles, Drivers, Environment, Crash, Motor Carriers, and MCMIS Crash
File Progress.

The level of analysis in most of the tables in the profile is the
vehicle. In other words, what is being counted is the number of vehicles
involved in crashes, both fatal and non-fatal. The major exception is
the driver section, where what is being counted is the number of drivers
in the various categories.

**Neither FARS, GES, nor MCMIS databases contain information on crash
causation or fault. The data can be only suggestive about why truck
crashes occur. Even so, the data can point toward problem areas that may
need to be addressed, and toward possible countermeasures.**

**I. Overview and Trends**

To put trucks involved in crashes in perspective, Table 1 below shows
the number of large trucks involved in police-reported crashes in 1997,
compared to all vehicles involved in police-reported crashes.

**Table 1**

**Motor Vehicles Involved in Crashes, 1997**

  ---------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------
  **Crash Severity**     **Large Trucks** **All Vehicles** **Percent Large
                                                           Trucks**

  Fatal                  4,871            56,978           8.5%

  Injury                 97,000           4,035,000        2.4%

  Property-Damage-Only   342,000          8,010,000        4.3%

  **Total**              **444,000**      **12,102,000**   **3.7%**
  ---------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------

Sources: FARS and GES

Large trucks involved in fatal crashes represented 8.5 percent of all
vehicles involved in fatal crashes. The proportion of large trucks drops
appreciably when the focus shifts to injury and property-damage-only
crashes. Large trucks are only 2.4 percent of vehicles involved in
injury crashes, and 4.3 percent of vehicles involved in
property-damage-only crashes.

The number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes from 1988 to 1997
is presented in Table 2, along with the vehicle crash involvement rate
in terms of vehicle miles traveled. The large truck fatal crash
involvement rate is defined as the number of large trucks involved in a
fatal crash per 100 million miles traveled by large trucks. A large
truck is defined in FARS as a truck with a gross vehicle weight rating
of more than 10,000 pounds. The number of passenger vehicles involved in
fatal crashes and the crash rate for these vehicles is presented for
comparison purposes. The passenger vehicle fatal crash involvement rate
is the number of such vehicles involved in a fatal crash per 100 million
miles traveled by passenger vehicles. Passenger vehicles are defined as
passenger cars, pickup trucks, passenger vans, and sport utility
vehicles.

**Table 2**

**Vehicle Fatal Crash Involvement Rates**

**for Large Trucks and Passenger Vehicles, 1988-1997**

+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Year**   | **Fatal     |             |             |             |
|            | Crash       |             |             |             |
|            | Involvement |             |             |             |
|            | Rates**     |             |             |             |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
|            | **Number**  | **Per 100   | **Number of | **Per 100   |
|            |             | million     | Passenger   | million**   |
|            | **of        | VMT**       | Vehicles**  |             |
|            | Trucks**    |             |             | **VMT**     |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1988       | 5,241       | 3.7         | 52,263      | 2.8         |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1989       | 4,984       | 3.4         | 51,110      | 2.6         |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1990       | 4,776       | 3.2         | 49,705      | 2.5         |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1991       | 4,347       | 2.9         | 46,123      | 2.3         |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1992       | 4,035       | 2.6         | 44,465      | 2.1         |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1993       | 4,328       | 2.7         | 45,565      | 2.1         |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1994       | 4,644       | 2.7         | 46,626      | 2.1         |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1995       | 4,453       | 2.5         | 48,527      | 2.2         |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1996       | 4,755       | 2.6         | 48,973      | 2.1         |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 1997       | 4,871       | 2.5         | 48,291      | 2.1         |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| \% Change  | ‑7.1%       | ‑32.4%      | ‑7.4%       | ‑25.0%      |
| from 1988  |             |             |             |             |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+

Sources: FARS 1988-97 and Highway Statistics 1988-97

The number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes decreased by 7
percent from 1988 to 1997 (5,241 to 4,871). There were about ten times
as many passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes as large trucks
during the 10-year period. Passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes
also dropped by 7 percent (52,263 to 48,291) during these 10 years.

The large truck fatal crash rate dropped by 32 percent from 1988 to
1997, from 3.7 to 2.5 trucks involved in a fatal crash per 100 million
truck miles traveled. The fatal crash rate for passenger vehicles has
been lower than the rate for large trucks for each year in the 1988-1997
period by a small margin. However, the 25-percent decline in the fatal
crash rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled for passenger vehicles
(from 2.8 to 2.1) was less than the decline for large trucks.

Table 3 presents large truck and passenger vehicle crash rates for
injury crashes. In this case passenger vehicles have a much higher crash
rate.

**Table 3**

**Vehicle Injury Crash Involvement Rates**

**for Large Trucks and Passenger Vehicles, 1988-1997**

+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| *       | **Injury     |              |              |              |
| *Year** | Crash        |              |              |              |
|         | Involvement  |              |              |              |
|         | Rates**      |              |              |              |
+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|         | **Number**   | **Per 100    | **Number of  | **Per 100    |
|         |              | million**    | Passenger    | million**    |
|         | **of**       |              | Vehicles**   |              |
|         |              | **VMT**      |              | **VMT**      |
|         | **Trucks**   |              |              |              |
+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 1988    | 96,000       | 68           | 3,756,000    | 201          |
+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 1989    | 110,000      | 74           | 3,619,000    | 187          |
+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 1990    | 107,000      | 72           | 3,567,000    | 180          |
+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 1991    | 78,000       | 52           | 3,404,000    | 170          |
+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 1992    | 95,000       | 62           | 3,399,000    | 163          |
+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 1993    | 97,000       | 61           | 3,474,000    | 164          |
+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 1994    | 95,000       | 56           | 3,697,000    | 170          |
+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 1995    | 84,000       | 47           | 3,938,000    | 177          |
+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 1996    | 94,000       | 51           | 3,988,000    | 175          |
+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 1997    | 97,000       | 51           | 4,035,000    | 172          |
+---------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

Sources: GES 1988-97, and Highway Statistics 1988-97

The number of trucks involved in injury crashes, based on GES data, has
changed erratically from 1988 to 1997. The figure dropped by 29 percent
from 1990 to 1991 (107,000 down to 78,000), but it has increased three
times by more than 10 percent. These fluctuations are due in large part
to the small number of truck crashes in the GES sample, and may not be
due to actual changes. The 1997 large truck number of 97,000 ended up
only 1,000 higher than the 1988 number. By contrast the number of
passenger vehicles involved in injury crashes declined gradually from
1988 to 1993 (3.8 million to 3.4 million), and has climbed steadily
since then (3.4 million to 4.0 million). The result is that the 1997
passenger vehicle number is 279,000 higher than the 1988 number
(4,035,000 in 1997 compared to 3,756,000 in 1988).

Even with the fluctuations in the large truck estimates from 1988 to
1997, the number of passenger vehicles in injury crashes always has been
30 to 40 times the number of large trucks involved in injury crashes.
The injury crash rate for passenger vehicles was more than double the
rate for large trucks for all years from 1988 to 1994. From 1995 to 1997
the passenger vehicle injury crash rate was more than triple the rate
for large trucks.

**Table 4**

**Fatalities and Injuries in**

**Large Truck Crashes, 1988-1997**

  ---------------- --------------------------- ---------------------------
  Year             Fatalities                  Injuries

  1988             5,679                       130,000

  1989             5,490                       156,000

  1990             5,272                       150,000

  1991             4,821                       110,000

  1992             4,462                       138,000

  1993             4,849                       133,000

  1994             5,144                       133,000

  1995             4,918                       117,000

  1996             5,142                       130,000

  1997             5,355                       133,000
  ---------------- --------------------------- ---------------------------

Sources: FARS 1988-97; GES 1988-97

The numbers of people killed and injured in crashes involving at least
one large truck are shown in Table 4. Fatalities increased by 8.9
percent between 1995 and 1997. However, the 1997 number of 5,355
represents only 13 percent of the total deaths in motor vehicle traffic
crashes. The number of people injured in crashes involving large trucks
has remained virtually unchanged since 1993. For three of the last five
years (including 1997) the GES estimate of people injured in large truck
crashes is 133,000. As mentioned earlier, some of the year-to-year
changes in the GES injury estimates are due to sampling variation.

**II. Vehicles**

Large trucks (gross vehicle weight rating over 10,000 pounds) in 1997
accounted for:

-   **nine** percent of the vehicles involved in fatal crashes,

-   **two** percent of vehicles in injury crashes, and

-   **four** percent of vehicles involved in property-damage-only
    crashes.

The typical large truck involved in a crash in 1997 in the United States
was a truck-tractor pulling a single semi-trailer that was a
van/enclosed box or flatbed. The truck was capable of carrying a large
cargo load. Only a small percentage of the trucks were carrying
hazardous materials at the time of the crash.

**Table 5**

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes**

**by Vehicle Configuration, 1997**

  ---------------------------- -------------- --------------- --------------
  **Vehicle Configuration**    **Fatal:       **Non-Fatal**   
                               FARS**                         

                                              **MCMIS**       **GES**

  Single Unit Truck, 2-axle    10.9%          12.7%           13.9%

  Single Unit Truck, 3+axle    8.7%           9.6%            

  Truck/Trailer(s)             3.4%           9.4%            1.1%

  Truck Tractor (bobtail)      2.3%           2.9%            2.0%

  Tractor/semi-trailer         63.5%          53.5%           46.9%

  Tractor/double               4.1%           3.1%            1.4%

  Tractor/triple               0.3%           0.1%            0.1%

  Unknown                      6.9%           3.0%            34.6%

  Missing                      \-\--          5.8%            \-\--

  **Total**                    **4,871**      **93,210**      **439,000**
  ---------------------------- -------------- --------------- --------------

Sources: FARS, MCMIS Crash File, and GES

Sixty-three percent of the trucks involved in fatal crashes in 1997 were
tractors pulling semi-trailers, usually an 18-wheeler (Table 5). For
non-fatal crashes 54 percent of the trucks in the MCMIS Crash File and
47 percent in the GES file were tractor semi-trailers. The ratio of
combination trucks (trucks pulling trailers, truck tractors pulling no
trailers, and truck tractors pulling single trailers, double trailers,
and triple trailers) to single-unit trucks in fatal and non-fatal
crashes is more than 3 to 1. These percentages have varied little in the
past five years.

Single-unit trucks accounted for only 20 percent of the trucks involved
in fatal crashes in 1997. Single-unit trucks account for 19 percent of
the trucks involved in non-fatal crashes in the MCMIS Crash File, and 14
percent in the GES data. One-third of the trucks in the GES sample were
not classified into a vehicle configuration category.

**Table 6**

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes**

**by Cargo Body Type, 1997**

  ------------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------
  **Cargo Body**            **Fatal**              **Non-Fatal**

  Van/Enclosed Box          42.4%                  35.8%

  Flatbed                   13.6%                  11.8%

  Dump                      10.4%                  8.6%

  Cargo Tank                7.4%                   5.0%

  Garbage/Refuse            1.9%                   2.3%

  Concrete Mixer            1.0%                   3.7%

  Auto Transporter          0.8%                   0.8%

  Other                     9.8%                   22.9%

  Unknown                   12.8%                  \-\--

  Missing                   \-\--                  9.1%

  **Total**                 **4,871**              **93,210**
  ------------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------

Sources: FARS and MCMIS Crash File

More than one-third of the trucks involved in crashes (42 percent of the
fatals, 36 percent of the non-fatals) had a van/enclosed box cargo body
type (Table 6). The other three highest-ranking cargo body types account
for less than another third of the total. These are flatbeds (14 percent
of fatals, 12 percent of non-fatals); dump trucks (10 percent of fatals,
9 percent of non-fatals); and cargo tank trucks (7 percent of fatals, 5
percent of non-fatals). Cargo tanks are those most likely to carry
hazardous materials in bulk. Unfortunately, other, unknown, and missing
data add up to 23 percent in FARS and 32 percent in MCMIS, which makes
further analysis difficult.

[Gross Vehicle Weight Rating]{.underline}

The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is the maximum manufacturer's
recommended total weight for the vehicle and its cargo. Trucks involved
in crashes are overwhelmingly those that can carry heavy loads.

**Table 7**

**Trucks Involved in Crashes**

**by Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, 1997**

  --------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------
  **GVWR**                    **Fatal**             **Non-Fatal**

  Under 10,001 lbs            0.4%                  0.9%

  10,001 - 26,000 lbs         8.9%                  7.7%

  Over 26,000 lbs             78.3%                 75.1%

  Unknown                     7.6%                  \--

  Missing                     4.9%                  16.2%

  **Total**                   **4,871**             **93,210**
  --------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------

Sources: FARS and MCMIS Crash File

Three-fourths of the trucks involved in fatal and non-fatal crashes in
1997 (78 percent in FARS and 75 percent in MCMIS) had GVWRs over 26,000
pounds (Table 7). By comparison, passenger cars in fatal and non-fatal
crashes had an average GVWR in the 2,000-4,000 pound range. Less than 10
percent of the trucks involved in fatal and non-fatal crashes had GVWRs
in the 10,000-26,000 pound range, and almost all of those were
single-unit trucks.

[Hazardous Materials Cargo]{.underline}

One note should be mentioned about the following hazardous materials
(HM) tables. In the FARS data, large trucks are counted as carrying
hazardous materials if they display an HM placard, or if later
investigation shows that they were carrying HM without a placard. For
the NGA crash data element, however, the reporting officer just records
the presence of an HM placard on the truck. Some suspect that there are
a significant number of trucks that carry hazardous materials without
displaying the required HM placards.

> **Table 8**

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes**

**Carrying Hazardous Materials, 1997**

+------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| **HazMat Placard**     | **Fatal:**   | *            |              |
|                        |              | *Non-Fatal** |              |
|                        | **FARS**     |              |              |
+------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|                        |              | **MCMIS**    | **GES**      |
+------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Yes                    | 4.1%         | 3.5%         | 1.8%         |
+------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| No                     | 93.7%        | 45.4%        | 0.1%         |
+------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Unknown                | 2.2%         | \-\--        | 98.2%        |
+------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Missing                | \-\--        | 51.1%        | \-\--        |
+------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| **Total**              | **4,871**    | **93,210**   | **439,000**  |
+------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

Sources: FARS, MCMIS Crash File, and GES

With these caveats in mind, the data in Table 8 indicate that only a
small percentage of trucks in crashes displayed an HM placard. In fatal
crashes only 4 percent of the trucks displayed an HM placard, while in
non-fatal crashes 4 percent of trucks in the MCMIS Crash File and 2
percent of trucks in the GES file displayed an HM placard. The large
percent of missing data in MCMIS may be due to police officers not
responding to the element on the police accident reports when no placard
is present, as opposed to checking the "No" response. The overwhelming
percentage of unknown data in GES may be due to the same problem.

**Table 9**

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes**

**that Released Hazardous Materials Cargo, 1997**

  ----------------------- ----------------------- -----------------------
  **Cargo Release**       **Fatal**               **Non-fatal**

  Yes                     37.5%                   25.0%

  No                      62.5%                   75.0%

  **Total**               **120**                 **2,675**
  ----------------------- ----------------------- -----------------------

Source: MCMIS Crash File

Hazardous materials were released from the cargo compartment in 38
percent of vehicles displaying an HM placard that were involved in fatal
crashes and 25 percent of those involved in non-fatal crashes, according
to MCMIS Crash File data (Table 9). Neither FARS nor GES includes HM
cargo release data.

The Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents (TIFA) database from the
University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute is the most
reliable fatal crash database for trucks. For the years 1992 through
1996 the TIFA data show an average of 201 trucks a year carrying HM
involved in fatal crashes. Of these an average of 30 percent released HM
cargo as a result of the crash, a figure slightly lower than that
recorded for trucks carrying HM in fatal crashes in the 1997 MCMIS Crash
File. Final 1997 TIFA data will not be available for several months.

**Table 10**

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes**

**by Class of Hazardous Materials Leakage, 1997**

  ---------------------------------------- --------------- ---------------
  **Class of HM Leakage**                  **Fatal**       **Non-Fatal**

  1 - Explosives                           9%              2.7%

  2 - Gases                                2%              9.3%

  3 - Flammable Liquid                     29%             26.0%

  4 - Flammable Solids                     0%              1.2%

  5 - Oxidizing Substances                 0%              1.9%

  6 - Poison & Infectious Substances       2%              1.3%

  7 - Radioactive Material                 0%              0.1%

  8 - Corrosives                           7%              4.9%

  9 - Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods        31%             37.6%

  Missing                                  20%             14.9%

  **Total**                                **45**          **670**
  ---------------------------------------- --------------- ---------------

Source: MCMIS Crash File

For trucks involved in fatal crashes that released hazardous materials,
the most common HM released from the truck were Class 9 miscellaneous
dangerous goods (31 percent of the releases in fatal crashes and 38
percent in non-fatal crashes). These goods include liquid and solid
hazardous wastes, substances that do not present a transportation hazard
but are hazardous to the environment (such as PCBs), and substances that
are hazardous when raised to a high temperature (such as hot asphalt).

The second most common HM spilled in 1997 were Class 3 flammable liquids
(29 percent in fatal crashes and 26 percent in non-fatal crashes). The
large majority of these substances are gasoline and fuel oil. Explosives
accounted for 9 percent of the releases in fatal crashes, and gases were
9 percent of the spills in non-fatal crashes. The HM class was not
recorded for 20 percent of the trucks that released HM in fatal crashes
and 15 percent in non-fatal crashes.

The number of trucks that released HM in 1997 fatal crashes (45) was
exactly the same in 1996, while the number of trucks with releases in
non-fatal crashes dropped from 804 in 1996 to 670 in 1997. The types of
materials that leaked changed from 1996 to 1997. Thirty-eight percent of
the releases in fatal crashes were flammable liquids in 1996, as opposed
to a smaller 29 percent in 1997. On the other hand the miscellaneous
dangerous goods number increased from 9 percent in 1996 to 31 percent in
1997. In non-fatal crashes the flammable liquid number increased
slightly from 23 percent in 1996 to 26 percent in 1997. The
miscellaneous dangerous materials percent increased from 26 percent to
38 percent.

In total, hazardous materials are a minor element in truck crashes for
two reasons:

-   First, only a small percentage of trucks involved in crashes carry
    hazardous materials.

-   Second, the HM carried usually stays in the cargo compartment. Only
    45 trucks released HM in fatal crashes reported to the MCMIS Crash
    File in 1997. Of the more than 93,000 trucks involved in non-fatal
    crashes in the MCMIS database, there were HM releases in only 670
    cases.

Therefore, HM releases rarely play a role in deaths or injuries. The
Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) reported an average
of only 11 deaths a year attributable to exposure to HM in highway
crashes over the past ten years. Since RSPA data come only from
interstate carriers, total fatalities are understated, perhaps by a
multiple of three. In any event, total fatalities related to exposure to
HM in highway crashes would be a small percent of the 5,355 total
fatalities in large truck crashes in 1997.

**III. Drivers**

Truck drivers involved in 1997 crashes were generally between 26 and 45
years old. A large majority had valid drivers licenses at the time of
the crash, and were in apparently normal condition at the time of the
crash. Most did not have any driver-related crash factors recorded when
involved in a fatal crash. Drivers of the passenger vehicles in fatal
collisions with trucks were more likely than the drivers of the trucks
to be under 26 years old and over 65, have invalid drivers licenses, be
legally drunk, and be cited for driver-related crash factors.

[Driver Age]{.underline}

The FARS and GES databases have information on all drivers involved in
fatal and non-fatal crashes, while the MCMIS Crash File only has data on
the truck driver. In over three-fourths of fatal and non-fatal truck
crashes in 1997, the truck collided with a passenger vehicle \-- a
passenger car or light truck (pickup, van, or sport utility vehicle).
Table 11 presents data on the ages of the drivers of large trucks and
the drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal and non-fatal
crashes between large trucks and passenger vehicles. The two columns of
FARS data show the ages for truck drivers and passenger vehicle drivers
involved in two-vehicle fatal crashes with each other. The last two
columns have GES data on the ages of the truck drivers and passenger
vehicle drivers involved in non-fatal crashes with each other.

**Table 11**

**Drivers in Two-Vehicle Crashes Involving a Large**

**Truck and a Passenger Vehicle by Driver Age, 1997**

+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Driver**  | **Fatal**   |             | **          |             |
|             |             |             | Non-Fatal** |             |
| **Age**     |             |             |             |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
|             | **Large     | **Passenger | **Large     | **Passenger |
|             | Trucks**    | Vehicles**  | Trucks**    | Vehicles**  |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| \< 26       | 7.2%        | 23.8%       | 9.8%        | 25.2%       |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 26-45       | 57.4%       | 35.3%       | 58.3%       | 42.9%       |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 46-65       | 32.7%       | 20.8%       | 30.3%       | 22.6%       |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| 66-75       | 2.2%        | 9.7%        | 1.3%        | 5.5%        |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| \>75        | 0.1%        | 10.1%       | 0.3%        | 3.9%        |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Unk/Miss.   | 0.4%        | 0.3%        | \-\--       | \-\--       |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Total**   | **2,822**   | **2,822**   | **241,000** | **241,000** |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+

Sources: FARS and GES

Table 11 includes the ages of 2,822 truck drivers and the same number of
passenger vehicle drivers that were involved in the two-vehicle fatal
crashes. The total represents 58 percent of the total number of trucks
involved in fatal crashes. The other trucks were involved in
single-vehicle crashes; two-vehicle crashes with a bus, motorcycle, or
another large truck; or multi-vehicle crashes. By contrast the 2,822
passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes with large trucks represent
only 6 percent of the 48,973 passenger vehicles involved in all types of
fatal crashes.

The age profiles of the truck drivers involved in two-vehicle fatal
crashes with passenger vehicles and those of the drivers of the cars and
light trucks involved are very different. Only 7 percent of the truck
drivers were younger than 26 years old and only 2 percent were older
than 65. By contrast 24 percent of the drivers of the passenger vehicles
were younger than 26, and 20 percent were older than 65. Thus, while 46
percent of the passenger vehicle drivers were either under 26 or over
65, only 10 percent of the truck drivers were in these two age
categories.

The age profiles for drivers in non-fatal truck/passenger vehicle
crashes are similar to those for drivers in fatal crashes. Only 10
percent of truck drivers in these non-fatal crashes were under the age
of 26, and 2 percent were over 65. Twenty-five percent of passenger
vehicle drivers in these crashes were under 25 years old, and 9 percent
were over 65 \-- one-third at the two extremes of the age scale.

It should be noted that drivers must be at least 21 years old to obtain
a commercial drivers license (CDL). A CDL is needed to operate a truck
in commerce with a gross vehicle weight rating over 26,000 pounds, or to
drive a truck of any GVWR carrying hazardous materials.

[Driver License Status]{.underline}

The FARS database contains information on the status of each
crash-involved driver's license. A large majority of all drivers
involved in fatal truck crashes held valid licenses. However, there are
differences between the large truck and passenger vehicle drivers.

Of the 2,822 drivers of large trucks involved in fatal crashes with
passenger vehicles, 89 percent (2,521) held valid CDLs and another 7
percent (209) held other valid licenses at the time of the crash, for a
total of 96 percent. (NOTE: Since CDLs are not required to drive all
large trucks, the presence of another valid license can be sufficient to
comply with the law.) Among the remaining 5 percent of the truck
drivers, 33 had suspended, revoked, expired, or canceled licenses; 9 had
other invalid licenses; and the license status of the remaining 50
drivers was not known.

Among the drivers of the passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes
with large trucks, 89 percent had valid licenses, compared with 96
percent of the truck drivers. Among the remaining 11 percent of
passenger vehicle drivers 84 had no license; 188 had a suspended,
revoked, expired, or canceled license; and the license status of the
remaining 29 drivers was not known.

Thus, while 52 truck drivers out of the 3,603 (1.4 percent) involved in
a fatal crash with a passenger vehicle had an invalid license, 350 of
the passenger vehicle drivers out of 4,275 (8.2 percent) involved in
these crashes had invalid licenses or none at all. The proportion of
passenger vehicle drivers with invalid or no licenses in these crashes
was more than three times higher than the proportion of truck drivers
with invalid or no licenses.

[Driver Condition]{.underline}

One NGA crash data element is apparent driver condition, which is based
on the reporting police officer's opinion. Of the 3,375 truck drivers in
fatal crashes in the MCMIS Crash File, "appeared normal" was checked 74
percent of the time, unknown 12 percent of the time, and 9 percent of
the cases had no driver condition recorded. For the remaining 5 percent
of the drivers, 58 were affected by fatigue or asleep, 50 had been
drinking, 37 had been using illegal drugs, 21 were sick, and 5 were
affected by medication they took.

Among the 93,210 truck drivers in non-fatal crashes in the MCMIS Crash
File, 84 percent appeared normal, and for 14 percent the driver
condition was unknown or not recorded. Among the other 2 percent, 1,457
appeared to be affected by fatigue or were asleep, 510 had been
drinking, 105 had been using illegal drugs, and 203 were sick. In sum
there appeared to be nothing wrong with the physical condition of over
90 percent of the truck drivers involved in fatal and non-fatal crashes.

[Driver Restraint Use]{.underline}

Seat belts have proven to have safety benefits in preventing deaths and
serious injuries in motor vehicle crashes. The following table compares
seat belt use in two-vehicle fatal crashes between large trucks and
passenger vehicles.

**Table 12**

**Driver Safety Belt Use in Two-Vehicle Crashes**

**Between a Large Truck and a Passenger Vehicle, 1997**

+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Belt      | **Fatal     |             | **Non-Fatal |             |
| Use**       | Crashes**   |             | Crashes**   |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
|             | **Large**   | **Passenger | **Large**   | **          |
|             |             | Vehicles**  |             | Passenger** |
|             | **Trucks**  |             | **Trucks**  |             |
|             |             |             |             | *           |
|             |             |             |             | *Vehicles** |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Yes         | 74.8%       | 47.1%       | 77.0%       | 83.2%       |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| No          | 16.6%       | 43.8%       | 8.4%        | 6.6%        |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Unknown     | 8.6%        | 9.1%        | 14.7%       | 10.2%       |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Total**   | **2,822**   | **2,822**   | **241,000** | **241,000** |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+

Sources: FARS and GES

In these fatal crashes, 75 percent of truck drivers were using their
seat belts, while less than half (47 percent) of passenger vehicle
drivers were using theirs (Table 12). This difference may account for a
part of the disproportionate number of passenger vehicle drivers killed
in crashes with large trucks. In non-fatal crashes the difference
between truck and passenger vehicle drivers is much smaller. The number
of truck drivers not wearing their seats belts is two percentage points
higher than the number of passenger vehicle drivers (8.4 percent to 6.6
percent).

[Driver Alcohol Use]{.underline}

In two-vehicle crashes between a large truck and a passenger vehicle a
much larger percentage of the passenger vehicle drivers had blood
containing at least some level of alcohol, as Table 13 illustrates.

**Table 13**

**Driver Alcohol Use in Crashes Between**

**a Large Truck and a Passenger Vehicle, 1997**

+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| **Driver Alcohol   | **Fatal Crashes**      |                        |
| BAC Levels**       |                        |                        |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
|                    | **Large**              | **Passenger**          |
|                    |                        |                        |
|                    | **Trucks**             | **Vehicles**           |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| .00                | 98.3%                  | 79.4%                  |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| .01 to .09         | 0.9%                   | 5.5%                   |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| .10 and over       | 0.8%                   | 15.1%                  |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| **Total**          | **2,822**              | **2,822**              |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+

Sources: FARS and GES

In these fatal two-vehicle large truck-passenger vehicle crashes, only 2
percent of the truck drivers had any level of alcohol in their blood.
Only 0.8 percent of the truck drivers had a blood alcohol content level
greater than the legal limit in 35 States and the District of Columbia,
0.10 grams per deciliter. By contrast alcohol was present much more
often among passenger vehicle drivers in these crashes. Twenty-one
percent of the passenger vehicle drivers had some alcohol in their
blood, and 5.5 percent were above the 35 State legal limit of 0.10
alcohol BAC. In non-fatal crashes between a truck and a passenger
vehicle there was no alcohol reported for the truck driver in 96.5
percent of the cases and for the passenger vehicle driver in 96.8
percent of the cases \-- both numbers being very high and almost
identical. The non-fatal numbers are based on police-reported alcohol
involvement from GES and not on BAC test results.

[People Killed and Injured in Large Truck Crashes]{.underline}

Since most commercial trucks involved in crashes have a gross vehicle
weight rating (GVWR) of over 26,000 pounds and passenger vehicles have a
GVWR of under 10,000 pounds, it is not surprising that when vehicles
collide the occupants of the passenger vehicle are more likely to suffer
injuries (Table 14).

**Table 14**

**People Killed and Injured in Large Truck Crashes, 1997**

  ----------------------------- -------------------- --------------------
  **Location of Persons**       **Fatal Crashes**    **Injury Crashes**

  Large Truck Occupants         13.4%                23.6%

  Non-Truck Occupants           78.2%                74.8%

  Non-Motorists                 8.4%                 1.5%

  **Total**                     **5,355**            **133,000**
  ----------------------------- -------------------- --------------------

Sources: FARS and GES

In fatal crashes involving a large truck the occupants of the other
vehicles involved accounted for over three-fourths of the fatalities (78
percent). Truck occupants accounted for only 13 percent of the
fatalities, and the other 8 percent were pedestrians or bicyclists. In
injury crashes the pattern is the same, but not quite as pronounced.
Non-truck vehicle occupants account for three-fourths of the injuries,
while the number for truck drivers is ten percentage points higher (24
percent). The big decrease is in the non-motorist category, which drops
from 8 percent to 1.5 percent.

[Driver Crash Factors]{.underline}

Driver-related crash factors recorded by police officers at the scene
are included in FARS. The three tables below show: (1) a comparison
between the driver factors for large trucks versus passenger vehicles
where fatal large truck-passenger vehicle(s) collisions take place, (2)
a comparison between large truck and passenger driver factors for each
type of vehicle when involved in single-vehicle fatal crashes, and (3) a
list of passenger vehicle driver-related crash factors when passenger
vehicles collide with other passenger vehicles in fatal crashes.
Passenger vehicles include passenger cars, passenger vans, pickup
trucks, and sport utility vehicles.

The FARS database includes 98 different driver-related crash factors. In
each of the three tables only twelve factors are listed. In Tables 15
and 16 the top twelve factors for the truck drivers are listed, and the
corresponding percentages for the passenger vehicle drivers. In Table 17
the top twelve factors for the passenger vehicle drivers are recorded.
The FARS coders include up to four driver-related factors for each
driver involved in a crash. The tables include the percent of drivers
cited for each factor, whether that factor was the only one listed for
the driver, or was the second, third, or fourth factor. Thus, when
adding the percentages for the major driver factors cited for large
trucks or passenger vehicles, the number will usually exceed the percent
of total drivers recorded with factors. For example, only 29 percent of
truck drivers involved in fatal crashes with passenger vehicles were
assigned driver-related factors. However, the number of truck drivers
cited for the top 12 factors totals 33 percent. Clearly many truck
drivers were cited for more than one factor.

The following is a list of the factors presented in the three tables,
and any available information about each from the FARS coding manual.
Further questions about the factors should be directed to NHTSA.

-   Driving Too Fast \-- Driving too fast for conditions, or in excess
    of posted maximum speed limit

-   Ran Off Road/Lane \-- Failure to keep in proper lane or running off
    road

-   Failure to Yield Right of Way \-- Failure to yield to pedestrian,
    other vehicles, streetcar already in intersection

-   Failure to Obey Traffic Devices \-- Failure to obey actual traffic
    sign, traffic control device, or traffic officer; failure to obey
    safety zone traffic laws

-   Inattentive \-- Driver distracted by cigarette, children, adjusting
    radio and other devices, reading, talking, television, etc.

-   Drowsy/Asleep \-- Drowsy, sleepy, asleep, fatigued not due to other
    factors, such as drugs

-   Ill, Passed Out/Blackout \-- Diabetic reactions, seizure, heart
    attack, high/low blood pressure, fainting

-   Manslaughter, Homicide \-- Non-traffic violation charged
    (manslaughter or other homicide offense committed without malice)

-   Erratic/Reckless Driving \-- Operating a vehicle in an erratic,
    reckless, careless or negligent manner; operating at erratic or
    suddenly changing speeds

-   Following Improperly \-- Following too closely; vehicles in caravan
    too close to allow entry

-   Vision Obscured by Weather \-- Vision obscured by rain, snow, fog,
    smoke, sand, dust

-   Ice, Water, Snow on Road \-- Ice, snow, slush, water, sand, dirt,
    oil, wet leaves on road

-   Driving Wrong Side of Road \-- Driving on wrong side of road
    intentionally or unintentionally

-   Starting or Backing Improperly \-- Backing up on one way roadway;
    starting out onto highway from parked position on shoulder

-   Over Correcting \-- Based police officer judgment, with knowledge of
    driver's intention

-   Hit and Run Vehicle Driver \-- (no explanation given)

-   Making Improper Turn \-- Too wide a right or left turn; unsafe
    U-turn

-   Passing with Insufficient Distance \-- Passing with insufficient
    distance or inadequate visibility or failing to yield to overtaking
    vehicle

**Table 15**

**Driver-Related Factors in a Fatal Crash**

**Between a Large Truck and a Passenger Vehicle, 1997**

  ------------------------------------------ -------------- --------------
  **Driver-Related Factors**                 **Large        **Passenger
                                             Trucks**       Vehicles**

  **Driver Factor(s) Recorded?**                            

  Yes                                        27.7%          80.3%

  No                                         72.3%          19.7%

  **Total Drivers**                          **2,822**      **2,822**

  **Selected Factors**                                      

  Failure to Yield Right of Way              6.6%           19.7%

  Ran Off Road/Out of Traffic Lane           5.1%           26.3%

  Driving Too Fast                           4.5%           14.1%

  Failure to Obey Traffic Devices            3.6%           11.1%

  Inattentive                                2.6%           11.3%

  Manslaughter, Homicide                     2.3%           0.8%

  Erratic/Reckless Driving                   1.9%           5.1%

  Ice, Water, Snow on Road                   0.9%           3.1%

  Starting or Backing Improperly             0.9%           0.1%

  Driving on Wrong Side of Road              0.8%           5.5%

  Following Improperly                       0.7%           2.4%

  Vision Obscured by Weather                 0.7%           1.1%
  ------------------------------------------ -------------- --------------

Source: FARS

Truck driver-related factors were cited by officers at the scene for 28
percent of the truck drivers in fatal crashes where the truck collided
with a single passenger vehicle. Among the individual factors cited the
three most common were failure to yield the right-of-way (7 percent),
ran off road or lane (5 percent), and driving too fast (also 5 percent).

The picture is radically different for passenger vehicle drivers
involved in fatal crashes with a truck. Police officers cited passenger
vehicle driver factors for 80 percent of the drivers, almost three times
as often as truck drivers. The top three factors for these drivers also
were ran off road or out of traffic lane (26 percent), failure to yield
right-of-way (19 percent), and driving too fast (14 percent). However,
inattentive and failure to obey traffic control devices (both cited for
8 percent of passenger vehicle drivers) were also frequently noted.
Compared to truck drivers a higher percentage of passenger vehicle
drivers were cited for 10 of the 12 factors, the exceptions being
manslaughter/homicide and starting or backing improperly.

**Table 16**

**Driver-Related Factors**

**in Single-Vehicle Fatal Crashes, 1997**

+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Driver-Related Factors**               | **Large     | **          |
|                                          | Trucks**    | Passenger** |
|                                          |             |             |
|                                          |             | *           |
|                                          |             | *Vehicles** |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Driver Factor(s) Recorded?**           |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Yes                                      | 69.1%       | 83.5%       |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| No                                       | 30.9%       | 16.5%       |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Total Drivers**                        | **847**     | **18,130**  |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Selected Factors**                     |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Ran off Road/Out of Traffic Lane         | 39.1%       | 56.0%       |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Driving too Fast                         | 17.4%       | 37.0%       |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Inattentive                              | 9.9%        | 10.1%       |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Drowsy/Asleep                            | 8.1%        | 4.8%        |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Failure to Yield Right-of-Way            | 5.7%        | 2.8%        |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Erratic/Reckless Driving                 | 4.5%        | 8.0%        |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Failure to Obey                          | 3.3%        | 2.1%        |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Over Correcting                          | 2.7%        | 6.7%        |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Hit and Run Vehicle Driver               | 2.5%        | 3.3%        |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Manslaughter, Homicide                   | 1.7%        | 2.7%        |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Ill, Passed Out/Blackout                 | 1.5%        | 1.6%        |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Ice, Water, Snow on Road                 | 1.3%        | 2.6%        |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+

Source: FARS

Police cited driver-related factors for 69 percent of truck drivers and
84 percent of passenger vehicle drivers in single-vehicle fatal crashes.
Ran off road and driving too fast were the most common factors for both
groups, with passenger vehicle drivers cited more often. Inattentive (10
percent) and drowsy/asleep (8 percent) rank third and fourth for truck
drivers. Passenger vehicle drivers were also cited for inattentive
driving in 10 percent of the cases, and 5 percent were cited for drowsy
or asleep.

**Table 17**

**Passenger Vehicle Driver-Related Factors:**

**Fatal Crashes Between Two Passenger Vehicles, 1997**

  ------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
  **Driver-Related Factors**                        **Passenger
                                                    Vehicles**

  **Driver Factor(s) Recorded?**                    

  Yes                                               55.0%

  No                                                45.0%

  **Total Drivers**                                 **18,758**

  **Selected Factors**                              

  Ran Off Road/Out of Traffic Lane                  16.3%

  Failure to Yield Right-of-Way                     15.6%

  Driving Too Fast                                  11.1%

  Failure to Obey                                   9.0%

  Inattentive                                       5.6%

  Erratic/Reckless Driving                          3.2%

  Driving on Wrong Side of Road                     3.0%

  Manslaughter, Homicide                            2.8%

  Ice, Water, Snow on Road                          2.5%

  Making Improper Turn                              1.7%

  Passing with Insufficient Distance                1.3%

  Over Correcting                                   1.1%
  ------------------------------------------------- ---------------------

Source: FARS

Driver-related crash factors were recorded for 55 percent of passenger
vehicle drivers when only passenger vehicles were involved in the
multi-vehicle fatal crashes (Table 17). But when their vehicles were
involved in fatal crashes with trucks, 80 percent of passenger vehicle
drivers were cited with driver related factors (Table 15). This
difference of 25 percentage points perhaps illustrates that passenger
vehicle drivers may not be as knowledgeable or careful about driving
around trucks as they are about driving around other non-commercial
vehicles. However, the major factors recorded by police for passenger
vehicles are similar, whether they collide with trucks or other
passenger vehicles. The three most cited factors for passenger vehicle
drivers \-- in either type of fatal crash \-- are failure to yield
right-of-way, running off the road or out of the traffic lane, and
driving too fast. Most of the other major passenger vehicle
driver-related crash factors recorded in Table 17 also appear in Table
15.

[A Note of Caution]{.underline}

"Related Factor" does not necessarily mean fault or crash cause. As
noted in the second edition of the MCSAFE safety update, published by
the OMC Analysis Division in November 1997, related factors are merely
the judgment of the officer at the scene and are **not** based on a
thorough evaluation of the crash in an attempt to determine the cause of
the crash or crash contributing factors. Some of the factors in the
tables, such as manslaughter/homicide and hit and run driver, are
charges assessed to drivers after the crash, not descriptions of
pre-crash behavior that leads to crashes.

Given this caveat, the data presented in this section in Tables 15, 16,
and 17 suggest that more comprehensive crash evaluations might lead to
the conclusion that drivers of passenger vehicles are at fault in more
fatal large truck-passenger vehicle crashes than the drivers of the
large trucks.

A final caution is that fatal crashes account for less than 2 percent of
total truck crashes. There are no national data on driver-related crash
factors in injury and property-damage-only crashes.

**IV. Environment**

Most truck crashes occur in favorable weather conditions, on dry
pavement, during the day, and on a weekday. Passenger vehicle crashes
also occur overwhelmingly during good weather and on dry pavement, but
are more likely to take place at night and on weekends than truck
crashes. Most fatal truck crashes took place on Interstate Highways or
other principal arterial highways, but most fatal crashes also occurred
on undivided highways.

[Weather and Road Surface Conditions]{.underline}

Weather problems are present in only a small minority of truck crashes,
according to the data in Tables 18 and 19.

**Table 18**

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes**

**by Weather Condition, 1997**

+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| **Weather Condition**    | **Fatal:**   | *            |              |
|                          |              | *Non-Fatal** |              |
|                          | **FARS**     |              |              |
+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|                          |              | **MCMIS**    | **GES**      |
+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| No Adverse Conditions    | 83.2%        | 68.4%        | 83.7%        |
+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Rain                     | 10.2%        | 12.1%        | 11.4%        |
+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Snow                     | 3.0%         | 5.1%         | 3.9%         |
+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Fog                      | 2.5%         | 1.2%         | 0.5%         |
+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Sleet, Hail              | 0.6%         | 1.2%         | 0.2%         |
+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Other                    | 0.2%         | 5.6%         | 0.3%         |
+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Unknown                  | 0.2%         | 0.6%         | \-\--        |
+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Missing                  | \-\--        | 5.7%         | \-\--        |
+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| **Total**                | **4,871**    | **93,210**   | **439,000**  |
+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

Sources: FARS, MCMIS Crash File, and GES

For 83 percent of the trucks involved, there were no adverse weather
conditions at the time of the fatal crash. According to GES data, for 84
percent of trucks involved in non-fatal crashes there was good weather,
while the MCMIS number was a lower 68 percent. The 6 percent missing
data in the MCMIS data probably accounts for some of the difference
between MCMIS and the other two databases. For 10 percent of the trucks
involved in fatal crashes and about 12 percent of those involved in
non-fatal crashes, rain was present. Snow ranks second as an adverse
weather condition.

**Table 19**

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes**

**by Road Surface Condition, 1997**

+--------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Road Surface           | **Fatal:**  | **          |             |
| Condition**              |             | Non-Fatal** |             |
|                          | **FARS**    |             |             |
+--------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
|                          |             | **MCMIS**   | **GES**     |
+--------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Dry                      | 78.8%       | 67.9%       | 76.7%       |
+--------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Wet                      | 16.2%       | 16.9%       | 17.1%       |
+--------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Ice                      | 2.4%        | 4.8%        | 3.6%        |
+--------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Snow or Slush            | 2.3%        | 3.6%        | 2.2%        |
+--------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Sand, Mud, Dirt, or Oil  | 0.1%        | 0.2%        | 0.2%        |
+--------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Other                    | 0.0%        | 0.2%        | 0.2%        |
+--------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Unknown                  | 0.2%        | 0.6%        | \-\--       |
+--------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Missing                  | \-\--       | 5.8%        | \-\--       |
+--------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Total**                | **4,871**   | **93,210**  | **439,000** |
+--------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+

Sources: FARS, MCMIS Crash File, and GES

The data in Table 19 data are consistent with those in Table 18. For
more than three-fourths of trucks involved in fatal crashes and
GES-reported non-fatal crashes, the crashes occurred on dry pavement.
For two-thirds of the trucks involved in non-fatal crashes on the MCMIS
Crash file, the crashes took place on dry pavement. Here again the 6
percent missing data in MCMIS probably accounts for much of the
difference from the GES results. Wet pavement was cited for 16 percent
of trucks involved in fatal crashes and for 17 percent of trucks
involved in non-fatal crashes in the MCMIS and GES data. Ice was cited
for 2 percent of trucks involved in fatal crashes, 5 percent of those in
non-fatal crashes according to MCMIS, and 4 percent of those involved in
non-fatal crashes according to GES.

[Light, Time of Day, and Day of Week]{.underline}

The following three tables provide data on light conditions when the
crash occurred, the time of day, and the day of the week. While a large
majority of fatal truck crashes take place during the day, almost half
of passenger vehicle fatal crashes occur at night. Passenger vehicle
fatal crashes are also more likely to occur on weekend days than are
fatal truck crashes.

**Table 20**

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Light Condition, 1997**

+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| **Light Condition**     | **Fatal:**   | *            |              |
|                         |              | *Non-Fatal** |              |
|                         | **FARS**     |              |              |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|                         |              | **MCMIS**    | **GES**      |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Daylight                | 63.6%        | 68.7%        | 78.1%        |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Dark - not lighted      | 24.1%        | 13.7%        | 9.4%         |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Dark - lighted          | 7.9%         | 7.4%         | 9.8%         |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Dawn                    | 2.6%         | 2.4%         | 1.6%         |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Dusk                    | 1.7%         | 1.6%         | 1.1%         |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| Unknown/Missing         | \-\--        | 6.2%         | \-\--        |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| **Total**               | **4,871**    | **93,210**   | **439,000**  |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

Sources: FARS, MCMIS Crash File, and GES

**Table 21**

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Time of Day, 1997**

+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| **Time**                | **Fatal:**   | *            |              |
|                         |              | *Non-Fatal** |              |
|                         | **FARS**     |              |              |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|                         |              | **MCMIS**    | **GES**      |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 12:00am- 2:59am         | 7.3%         | 5.0%         | 4.1%         |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 3:00 - 5:59             | 8.2%         | 6.4%         | 3.8%         |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 6:00 - 8:59             | 15.0%        | 16.7%        | 13.9%        |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 9:00 - 11:59            | 16.0%        | 19.9%        | 20.2%        |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 12:00pm- 2:59pm         | 18.1%        | 20.2%        | 23.5%        |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 3:00 - 5:59             | 16.4%        | 17.7%        | 20.8%        |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 6:00 - 8:59             | 9.4%         | 8.1%         | 7.9%         |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| 9:00 - 11:59            | 8.7%         | 5.9%         | 5.7%         |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| **Total**               | **4,871**    | **93,210**   | **439,000**  |
+-------------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+

Sources: FARS, MCMIS Crash File, and GES

For 64 percent of the trucks involved in fatal crashes in 1997, the
crash took place during daylight conditions, while for non-fatal
involvements daytime accounts for 69 percent of the trucks in MCMIS and
78 percent of the trucks in GES (Table 20). The data in Table 21 are
consistent with Table 20 \-- for 66 percent of the trucks involved in
fatal crashes the crash occurred between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.,
daytime business hours, plus commuting time. The NHTSA defines daytime
as beginning at 6:00 a.m. and ending at 5:59 p.m. Night begins at 6:00
p.m. and extends until 5:59 a.m. For non-fatal truck crash involvements
the daytime (6:00 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.) figures are higher \-- 75 percent
in the MCMIS Crash File and 78 percent in the GES file.

The time pattern of fatal truck crashes contrasts with that of passenger
vehicles. For 34 percent of trucks involved in fatal crashes the crash
took place during the night, but for 45 percent of passenger vehicles
involved in fatal crashes the crash occurred at night, an 11 percentage
point difference. In non-fatal crashes there is a smaller difference.
For trucks in the GES file 22 percent of the non-fatal crashes occurred
at night. For passenger cars in the GES file 27 percent of the non-fatal
crashes took place at night, a difference of 5 percentage points.

**Table 22**

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Day of Week, 1997**

+-----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| **Day**               | **Fatal:**    | **Non-Fatal** |               |
|                       |               |               |               |
|                       | **FARS**      |               |               |
+-----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
|                       |               | **MCMIS**     | **GES**       |
+-----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Sunday                | 6.3%          | 4.6%          | 4.9%          |
+-----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Monday                | 15.7%         | 17.3%         | 16.1%         |
+-----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Tuesday               | 17.5%         | 17.5%         | 17.6%         |
+-----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Wednesday             | 16.6%         | 17.6%         | 17.5%         |
+-----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Thursday              | 17.6%         | 17.9%         | 19.0%         |
+-----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Friday                | 17.1%         | 17.8%         | 17.6%         |
+-----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Saturday              | 9.2%          | 7.2%          | 7.3%          |
+-----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| **Total**             | **4,871**     | **93,210**    | **439,000**   |
+-----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+

Sources: FARS, MCMIS Crash File, and GES

Truck crash involvements were concentrated during the five working days
of the week. The fatal crashes for only 16 percent of the trucks
involved in fatal crashes took place on the weekend. In contrast the
fatal crashes for 33 percent of passenger vehicles involved in fatal
crashes took place on Saturday and Sunday \-- double the percent for
trucks. The non-fatal crashes of only 13 percent of the trucks involved
in the MCMIS Crash File and 12 percent in the GES file occurred on the
weekend. By contrast the non-fatal crashes of 21 percent of passenger
vehicles took place on Saturday and Sunday.

[Crash Roadways]{.underline}

The FARS database contains information on the types of roadways and
trafficways where fatal crashes occur. The MCMIS Crash File contains
data only on the type of trafficway. The following two tables present
data on these two variables.

**Table 23**

**Large Trucks Involved in Fatal Crashes**

**by Roadway Type, 1997**

  --------------------------------------- -------------------------------
  **Roadway Type**                        **Large Trucks**

  Interstate Highway                      24.3%

  Other Principal Arterial                36.1%

  Minor Arterial                          17.8%

  Collector                               13.4%

  Local Road/Street                       6.3%

  Unknown/Missing                         2.1%

  **Total**                               **4,871**
  --------------------------------------- -------------------------------

Source: FARS

According to the Federal Highway Administration's [Highway Statistics
1996]{.underline} (latest data available), 39 percent of all truck miles
were driven on Interstate Highways in 1996. By contrast, for trucks
involved in fatal crashes only 24 percent of the crashes occurred on
Interstate Highways in 1997. Interstate Highways are the safest roadways
in the nation, both for trucks and for other vehicles. Other principal
arterial highways accounted for more than one-third (36 percent) of
trucks in fatal crashes. Many of these highways are high-quality divided
highways, but many others are not divided and do not have controlled
access, both conditions that are less safe than Interstate Highways.

# Table 24

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes by Type of Trafficway, 1997**

+-------------------------------+------------+------------+------------+
| **Trafficway**                | **Fatal:** | **N        |            |
|                               |            | on-Fatal** |            |
|                               | **FARS**   |            |            |
+-------------------------------+------------+------------+------------+
|                               |            | **MCMIS**  | **GES**    |
+-------------------------------+------------+------------+------------+
| Not Physically Divided        | 56.4%      | 38.2%      | 44.4%      |
+-------------------------------+------------+------------+------------+
| Divided Highway-**without**   | 31.2%      | 24.7%      | 33.6%      |
| barrier                       |            |            |            |
+-------------------------------+------------+------------+------------+
| Divided Highway-**with**      | 10.8%      | 17.9%      |            |
| barrier                       |            |            |            |
+-------------------------------+------------+------------+------------+
| One-Way Trafficway            | 0.8%       | 4.3%       | 5.0%       |
+-------------------------------+------------+------------+------------+
| Missing/Unknown               | 0.8%       | 14.9%      | 17.1%      |
+-------------------------------+------------+------------+------------+
| **Total**                     | **4,871**  | **93,210** | *          |
|                               |            |            | *439,000** |
+-------------------------------+------------+------------+------------+

Sources: FARS, MCMIS Crash File, and GES

For more than half of all trucks involved in fatal crashes in 1997 (56
percent) the crashes took place on undivided highways. When the divided
highway without barrier numbers are added, almost 90 percent of the
trucks involved in fatal crashes were operating on highways where the
opposing lanes were not separated by barriers. By contrast the MCMIS
Crash File data show that for only 38 percent of all trucks involved in
non-fatal crashes the crash occurred on highways that were not
physically divided, and another 25 percent occurred on divided highways
that did not have a barrier \-- a total of 53 percent. The GES figure
for undivided highways was 44 percent of trucks involved in non-fatal
crashes.

**V. Crash**

Most fatal truck crashes in 1997 took place in rural areas. The first
event and first harmful event in the majority of fatal and non-fatal
truck crashes was a collision with another vehicle in traffic. While the
impact area for most fatal crashes was the front of the truck, the
impact area in non-fatal crashes was more evenly distributed to all
sides of the truck.

This section covers crash location in terms of the areas and
jurisdictions that have the highest number of crashes, the events that
happened during the crashes, and the point of impact on the trucks.

[Geographic Location]{.underline}

For 67 percent of the trucks involved in fatal crashes, the crash took
place in rural areas in 1997. In most States, however, the individual
counties with the highest number of fatal crashes were predominantly
urban in character. This is possible because rural counties outnumber
urban counties in a large majority of States. For example, the counties
in Texas with the most fatal crashes are those that include the major
cities of Houston, Dallas, Forth Worth, San Antonio, Austin, and El
Paso. However, most fatal crashes take place in the 200 rural counties
of the State.

[Crash Events]{.underline}

The first harmful and most harmful events are coded in the FARS and GES
databases for each crash. The MCMIS Crash File records the first and up
to three subsequent events (not necessarily harmful) that happened to
the truck involved in the crash. The first and most harmful events from
FARS and GES are, therefore, defined differently from the first and
subsequent events from MCMIS. To decide on first and most harmful events
the reporting officer or FARS analyst must make a judgment on which
crash events were significant and which were not. Asking the reporting
officer to record the first, second, third, and fourth event that
happened to the truck involved in the crash usually does not require the
officer to make a judgment call. The officer only has to record the
events that happened to the truck in the sequence they happened. Even
so, there are strong similarities in the results from the two
approaches, as recorded in Table 25.

**Table 25**

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes**

**by First Harmful or First Crash Event, 1997**

+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| **First Event**                 | *         | **No      |           |
|                                 | *Fatal:** | n-Fatal** |           |
|                                 |           |           |           |
|                                 | **FARS**  |           |           |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
|                                 |           | **MCMIS** | **GES**   |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Collision With Vehicle in       | 78.0%     | 58.2%     | 73.0%     |
| Transport                       |           |           |           |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Collision With Fixed Object     | 8.0%      | 3.2%      | 9.3%      |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Collision With Pedestrian       | 6.1%      | 0.4%      | 0.2%      |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Overturn (Rollover)             | 3.5%      | 3.2%      | 2.3%      |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Collision With Pedalcycle       | 1.5%      | 0.2%      | 0.1%      |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Collision With Parked Motor     | 1.0%      | 1.4%      | 8.2%      |
| Vehicle                         |           |           |           |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Collision With Train            | 0.7%      | 0.2%      | 0.1%      |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Collision With Other Object     | 0.3%      | 1.1%      | 0.4%      |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Collision With Animal           | 0.2%      | 0.6%      | 0.9%      |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Ran Off Road                    | \*        | 11.0%     | \*        |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Jackknife                       | \*        | 2.6%      | 0.8%      |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Cargo Loss or Shift             | \*        | 1.2%      | \*        |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Explosion/Fire                  | 0.0%      | 0.4%      | 0.1%      |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Other                           | 0.7%      | 8.9%      | 4.6%      |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Missing                         | \*        | 0.0%      | \*        |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| **Total**                       | **4,871** | *         | **        |
|                                 |           | *93,210** | 439,000** |
+---------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+

\* \-- These crash events are not coded in FARS or GES

Sources: FARS, MCMIS Crash File, and GES

For almost four-fifths (78 percent) of large trucks involved in fatal
crashes and almost three-fourths (73 percent) of large trucks involved
in non-fatal crashes, the first harmful event was a collision between
the truck and another vehicle, according to the FARS and GES databases
respectively. According to the MCMIS Crash File for 58 percent of the
trucks involved in a non-fatal crash, the first crash event was a
collision between the truck and another vehicle in transit.

The main reason that the MCMIS percentage for collision with a vehicle
in transport is much lower than the FARS and GES numbers is that the
first event codes in MCMIS include ran off road and cargo load or shift,
neither of which is counted as a harmful event in FARS and GES. However,
these events may be the first in a chain that leads to a crash. Together
these two first events, plus jackknife which is not counted as a harmful
event in FARS, accounted for 15 percent of the cases in the MCMIS Crash
File. Ran off the road alone accounted for 11 percent of the MCMIS
cases, second behind collision with a vehicle in transport, and much
more common than the third place event, collision with a fixed object (3
percent of the trucks involved in non-fatal crashes). For GES non-fatal
crashes, collision with a fixed object ranked second (9 percent) behind
collision with a vehicle in transport, and collision with a parked
vehicle was third (8 percent).

For trucks involved in fatal crashes the second-ranked first harmful
event was a collision with a fixed object (8 percent). The third most
common event was collision with a pedestrian (6 percent), according to
FARS. When a truck collides with a pedestrian, there is fairly good
chance the result will be a fatality or serious injury. In these crashes
the pedestrian killed is usually walking in the road, improperly
crossing the trafficway, or darting into the road.

[Type of Crash]{.underline}

The point of impact on vehicles involved in crashes can shed important
light on crashes, and this is an area where fatal and non-fatal crashes
differ dramatically, as shown in Table 26.

**Table 26**

**Large Trucks Involved in Crashes**

**by Initial Impact Area, 1997**

  ------------------------------- ------------------- -------------------
  **Impact Area**                 **Fatal**           **Non-Fatal**

  Front                           63.0%               27.0%

  Rear                            15.2%               15.0%

  Left Side                       8.9%                20.7%

  Right Side                      5.8%                28.8%

  Non Collision                   2.4%                7.1%

  Other/Unknown                   1.8%                1.3%

  **Total**                       **4,871**           **439,000**
  ------------------------------- ------------------- -------------------

Sources: FARS and GES

Unlike most other tables in this profile where fatal and non-fatal crash
data are similar, there is a marked contrast between the two columns in
Table 26. The front of the truck was the initial impact area for 63
percent of trucks involved in fatal crashes. By contrast the front of
the truck was the initial impact area for only 27 percent of the trucks
involved in non-fatal crashes. Side impact crashes are much more
prevalent in non-fatal truck crashes, accounting for almost half of all
the trucks involved (49 percent). Rear impact crashes are about the same
for fatal and non-fatal crashes, and non-collision crashes, such as
rollovers, are more common in non-fatal crashes.

When large trucks collided with passenger vehicles in fatal crashes the
front was the initial impact area for over 60 percent of both vehicles.
Thus, in a majority of fatal crashes for both large trucks and passenger
vehicles the crash took place in the forward vision of the drivers.
There is a large difference, however, in the rear end of the vehicle as
an initial impact point. For large trucks the rear was the initial point
of impact in 17 percent of the cases, while for passenger vehicles the
number was only 6 percent. Thus, it is three times more likely in fatal
crashes between large trucks and passenger vehicles that the truck is
struck in the rear rather than the passenger vehicle being struck in the
rear.

**VI. Motor Carriers**

The MCMIS Crash File collects data on whether the motor carrier
operating each vehicle involved in a crash was an interstate or
intrastate carrier. For 1997 a total of 78 percent of the trucks
involved in crashes were operated by interstate motor carriers. From
1994 through 1996 the percent of interstate trucks involved in crashes
varied from 72 percent to 75 percent.

The only national crash database that identifies truck and bus motor
carriers by name is the MCMIS Crash File. As of August 22, 1997, the
MCMIS database contained information on 105,192 trucks and buses
involved in crashes that occurred in 1997 as reported by the States. The
file also contains data on more than 103,000 vehicles involved in
crashes in 1996, over 90,000 for 1995, over 80,000 for 1994, and fewer
for 1993 and 1992. Nearly all vehicles are identified by the operating
motor carrier at the time of the crash.

Crash data play a vital role in measuring motor carrier safety. The OMC
is building a new data-based motor carrier safety status system,
SafeStat, to guide carrier and vehicle selection for compliance reviews
and roadside inspections. All interstate motor carriers will receive a
SafeStat number. Forty percent of the score will be based on crashes in
the MCMIS Crash File. OMC field staff will conduct safety compliance
reviews on the motor carriers with the worst SafeStat scores.

To guide roadside vehicle and driver inspections, an Inspection
Selection System (ISS) has been developed. The ISS is now being revised
so that it will match the SafeStat system which, as noted above, relies
heavily on MCMIS Crash File data. The only difference is the addition of
a factor for any carrier that has not had a roadside inspection in a
long time. When trucks and buses pull into roadside inspection stations,
State personnel will be able to enter the carrier identification number
into a computer and receive an ISS score for the carrier. The vehicles
and drivers of those carriers with high ISS scores, indicating a bad
safety record, will be selected more often for a roadside safety
inspection than those vehicles of carriers with low scores.

**VII. MCMIS Crash File Progress**

As noted in the Introduction, the OMC received crash reports on an
estimated 62 percent of the trucks and buses that were involved in
crashes in 1997 that met the NGA criteria for a reportable crash. One
way to estimate how well States are doing in reporting crashes to the
OMC is to compare the FARS numbers for large trucks involved in fatal
crashes with the MCMIS Crash File numbers of trucks involved in fatal
crashes. The FARS is considered a reliable data source for all fatal
crashes, including fatal truck crashes. If the number of trucks involved
in fatal crashes in the MCMIS Crash File is close to the FARS number for
a State, that State is at least reporting to the OMC almost all fatal
crashes.

The FARS and MCMIS numbers need not match exactly. The two databases use
slightly different definitions for a truck. For FARS a vehicle is a
large truck if it has a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000
pounds. For the MCMIS Crash File a truck must be designed, used, or
maintained primarily for carrying property, and have at least two axles
and six tires. Even with this difference in definitions, the FARS and
the MCMIS Crash File numbers should be very close.

Table 27 provides a State-by-State comparison of the MCMIS Crash File
numbers for trucks involved in fatal crashes with FARS numbers for large
trucks involved in fatal crashes. The table includes the 50 States and
the District of Columbia, but excludes the five United States
territories \-- Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern
Marianas, and American Samoa. The table shows that States reported 70
percent of truck FARS numbers. Only 17 States reported MCMIS fatals
within 10 percent of FARS. These included big States, such as
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and small States such as Delaware and Idaho.
On the other hand, 9 States reported less than 50 percent of the FARS
numbers. These States also include large ones, such as California and
Ohio, and small ones, such as Maine and Nevada.

**Concluding Comments**

For the OMC the most important questions involving motor carrier crashes
are what are the crash problems, why do crashes happen, and how do OMC
and State programs and activities relate to ameliorating the conditions
that lead to crashes. None of the current truck and bus crash databases
provide in-depth data on the causes or reasons for truck and bus
crashes, although some of the data is suggestive of crash causes. The
OMC Analysis Division relies on OMC field staff and our State partners
to suggest ways to analyze the data to best support safety efforts in
the field. The tables and comments presented in this report are examples
of the ways the Analysis Division can examine the existing data.

> **Table 27**

**Large Trucks in 1997 Fatal Crashes by State: FARS vs. MCMIS Totals**

  ---------------- ---------- ----------- ---------------- ----------- -----------
  **State**        **FARS**   **MCMIS**   **State**        **FARS**    **MCMIS**

  Alabama          166        160         Montana          24          20

  Alaska           7          4           Nebraska         46          47

  Arizona          72         35          Nevada           27          8

  Arkansas         113        48          New Hampshire    12          0

  California       369        164         New Jersey       77          39

  Colorado         75         39          New Mexico       51          22

  Connecticut      23         23          New York         142         97

  Delaware         15         14          North Carolina   195         134

  District of      3          3           North Dakota     12          14
  Columbia                                                             

  Florida          284        176         Ohio             203         93

  Georgia          218        184         Oklahoma         96          51

  Hawaii           3          8           Oregon           76          72

  Idaho            30         30          Pennsylvania     166         174

  Illinois         166        125         Rhode Island     2           2

  Indiana          159        127         South Carolina   89          95

  Iowa             75         69          South Dakota     15          16

  Kansas           80         69          Tennessee        129         81

  Kentucky         108        107         Texas            410         337

  Louisiana        122        6           Utah             46          54

  Maine            21         0           Vermont          15          10

  Maryland         88         56          Virginia         117         81

  Massachusetts    38         39          Washington       77          55

  Michigan         127        68          West Virginia    52          27

  Minnesota        88         49          Wisconsin        80          82

  Mississippi      99         1           Wyoming          24          27

  Missouri         139        133         **Total**        **4,871**   **3,375**
  ---------------- ---------- ----------- ---------------- ----------- -----------

Sources: FARS and MCMIS Crash File