The FMCSA Office of Analysis, Research and Technology will host a webinar examining last year's historic decline in truck crashes. The webinar will be held Wednesday, Sept. 29, 1-2 p.m. Eastern Time.


Crash data from 2009 show the largest decrease in fatal truck crashes since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) started collecting data in 1975.

Fatalities in large truck crashes dropped 20 percent from 2008 to 2009, following a 12 percent decline from 2007 to 2008. In this webinar, Dr. Ralph Craft of FMCSA's Office of Analysis, Research and Technology will present large truck and bus crash data from 2009, trend data covering the last ten years, and focus specifically on the last two years of historic decreases.

The webinar will also discuss reasons for the declines, and present some comparisons to crash data for passenger vehicles.

Craft is a recognized expert in commercial vehicle crash data analysis and has worked for FMCSA for the past 18 years.

You can register by going to www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/art-webinars-future.asp and clicking on the heading "2009: Historic Truck Crash Declines." Deadline to register is Tuesday, Sept. 28. The agency says it welcomes all interested parties, including carriers and their safety managers.