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FMCSA is launching its first fatal truck crash causation study in nearly two decades, aiming to pinpoint driver, vehicle, and environmental factors shaping deadly crashes and future safety policy.
FMCSA is launching its first fatal truck crash causation study in nearly two decades, aiming to pinpoint driver, vehicle, and environmental factors shaping deadly crashes and future safety policy.
For the first time in nearly two decades, FMCSA is preparing a new study into the causes of fatal truck crashes, aiming to better understand and prevent the rising number of roadway deaths involving heavy-duty trucks.
The study, titled “Crash Causal Factors Program: Heavy-Duty Truck Study Data Collection,” is required under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA). FMCSA announced it will submit an information collection request to the White House Office of Management and Budget to begin the data-gathering process.
The IIJA directs the Department of Transportation to:
FMCSA said the study will focus on “a nuanced understanding of crashes involving CMVs so that policymakers, law enforcement agencies, regulators, and other interested parties can implement effective crash prevention strategies and programs.”
Data will be collected from state jurisdictions selected to represent a national sample of fatal crashes involving Class 7 and 8 trucks. FMCSA plans to capture details on driver behavior, vehicle condition, carrier practices, and environmental conditions that may contribute to crashes.
The effort follows almost 20 years after FMCSA’s last in-depth analysis of crash causes, known as the Large Truck Crash Causation Study of the mid-2000s. That project remains a benchmark for safety research but is widely seen as outdated given the changes in trucking, technology, and traffic patterns since then.
With fatal crashes involving large trucks trending higher in recent years, the agency said the new study is part of its “heightened effort to address the rising number of fatal crashes and reduce roadway fatalities.”
Once data collection is complete, FMCSA will analyze results to identify trends and inform new policies. Findings will guide federal and state officials in shaping regulations, as well as help carriers and drivers adopt more effective safety strategies.
While the study’s results are still years away, the launch represents a significant federal step toward updating safety policy with modern data.
Source: CCJDigital | Overdrive
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