Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/715740
For Safety's Sake By Matt Cole 20 // COMPANY DRIVER // SEPTEMBER 2016 NHTSA report shows increase in truck-related fatalities in 2015 P reliminary data from the National Highway Traffi c Safety Adminis- tration show a 4 percent increase in truck-involved crashes with fatalities in 2015 over 2014. Overall, NHTSA found a 7.7 percent increase in traffi c deaths during 2015. An estimated 35,200 people died on U.S. roadways in 2015, up from the 32,675 reported fatalities in 2014, according to NHTSA. If the agency's predic- tions hold to be true, 2015 will be the deadliest year on U.S. highways since 37,423 people were killed in 2008. One factor tied to the increase in all highway fatalities is a 3.5 percent increase in vehicle miles traveled in 2015 over 2014. NHTSA's analysis found "signifi cant increas- es" in deaths of motorcyclists and non-occupants (pedestrians and bicyclists) when compared to 2014. Additionally, nine out of 10 NHTSA re- gions saw increases in traffi c fatalities in 2015. The only region to see a drop in fatalities was Region 6, consisting of Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. Region 10, con- sisting of Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, had a 20 percent increase in fatalities, the high- est in the nation. "Every Ameri- can should be able to drive, ride or walk to their desti- nation safely, every {Percentage change in estimated fatalities in 2015 compared to 2014}