---

AAA Says Truck Safety Record Trails Automobiles; Calls for Better Research

24 February 1999

AAA Says Truck Safety Record Trails Automobiles; Calls for Better Research

    WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- "The nation's track record when it
comes to preventing crashes involving large trucks falls woefully short,"
according to Mark Edwards, managing director of traffic safety for AAA. "The
same quality of research which supported the advances in automobile safety
does not exist when it comes to truck crashes."
    Testifying before the transportation subcommittee of the House
Appropriations Committee, Edwards said, "At present we are shooting in the
dark when it comes to preventing car-truck crashes.  We need to invest in
building the same data systems we built for studying light vehicle safety."
    The 41 million-member AAA recommended a four-point program in an effort to
achieve zero crash tolerance for trucks:
    * a study of truck crash causation
    * an innovative state approach to truck safety
    * improvements to the Commercial Driver License program
    * educating motorists and truckers about sharing the road
    "Even though we are experiencing fewer crashes overall, the proportion of
fatal crashes involving large trucks has remained relatively constant at about
8 percent -- an unacceptable result if we are trying to make real gains in the
safety of truck travel.  In a nutshell, when it comes to
accidents involving trucks, we are in the same place today we were 10 years
ago," Edwards said.
    The last 30 years have shown dramatic improvement in automobile safety,
according to the AAA.  With the lowest fatality rate of any industrialized
nation, the annual death toll has been reduced from 55,000 in the late 60s to
42,000 in this decade.
    "If the fatality rate 30 years ago had persisted in 1997, more than
130,000 people would have died in crashes," Edwards said. "Years of studying
motor vehicle crashes have enabled us to design solutions that have made a
real difference in automobile safety."
    From that research emerged a list of specific changes manufacturers made
to produce safer vehicles: air bags, seat belts, collapsible steering wheels,
improved vehicle structure, padded dashboards and injury friendly interiors.
    Add to this the substantial efforts we are making to achieve fundamental
driver behavioral changes, such as fully comprehending the effects of driving
under the influence of alcohol, and we can see why the fatality rate of cars
has been cut dramatically, according to AAA
    "Maintaining a status quo over the past 10 years for trucks is
particularly unacceptable when we consider the tremendous growth in both auto
and truck traffic," Edwards said.
    "When one considers that we do not even have a reliable estimate on the
number of large trucks that crash each year, it is clear that improved data
will guide Congress in making appropriate investments to address truck safety
issues with certainty and science.
    "History tells us that the return in benefits will be safer travel for
both cars and trucks, fewer deaths, and fewer injuries," the AAA spokesman
said.