Analysis Division, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2010: Final Version
FMCSA-RRA-12-023
August 2012

Trends

The tables in this chapter present crash statistics for large trucks and buses over time. Fatal crash statistics generally are available from 1975, the first year of FARS data, through 2010. In some cases, such as for roadway function class or alcohol involvement, data are available only from 1981 or 1982 through 2010. Nonfatal crash statistics are available from 1990 through 2010. The statistics shown in this chapter represent crashes, vehicles, drivers, fatalities, and injuries in crashes. Below is a summary of some of the trend information in this section:

• In 2010, 3,484 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes, a 9-percent increase from 2009. However, from 2007 through 2010 the number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes declined by 25 percent. The number of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes declined by 21 percent over the same period.

• Over the past 10 years (2000 through 2010):
• The number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes decreased from 4,995 to 3,484, a drop of 30 percent.
• The number of large trucks involved in injury crashes decreased from 101,000 to 58,000, a drop of 42 percent.
• The number of large trucks involved in property damage only crashes decreased from 351,000 to 214,000, a drop of 39 percent.
• Over the past 3 years (2007 through 2010):
• The number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes declined by 25 percent, from 4,633 to 3,484, and the vehicle involvement rate for large trucks in fatal crashes (vehicles involved in fatal crashes per 100 million miles traveled by large trucks) declined by 20 percent.
• The number of large trucks involved in injury crashes decreased by 23 percent, from 76,000 to 58,000, and the vehicle involvement rate for large trucks in injury crashes declined by 18 percent.
• The number of large trucks involved in property damage only crashes decreased by 36 percent, from 333,000 to 214,000, and the vehicle involvement rate for large trucks in property damage only crashes declined by 32 percent.
• From 2000 through 2010, the number of buses involved in fatal crashes declined from 325 to 249, a drop of 23 percent. From 2007 to 2010, the number of buses involved in fatal crashes declined from 281 to 249, a drop of 11 percent, and the vehicle involvement rate for buses in fatal crashes declined by 7 percent.
• From 2000 through 2010, on average, intercity buses accounted for 12 percent of all buses involved in fatal crashes, and school buses and transit buses accounted for 40 percent and 35 percent, respectively, of all buses involved in fatal crashes.
• Alcohol was detected in the blood of 3.0 percent of large truck drivers in fatal crashes in 2010, compared with 26.7 percent of passenger vehicle drivers. For 1.8 percent of large truck drivers in fatal crashes in 2010, the blood alcohol concentration was 0.08 grams per deciliter or more, compared with 23.2 percent of passenger vehicle drivers.
• Large truck and bus fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled by all motor vehicles increased by 9 percent, from 0.122 in 2009 to 0.133 in 2010.

Note: Data Revisions
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) implemented an enhanced methodology for estimating registered vehicles and vehicle miles traveled by vehicle type beginning with data from 2007. As a result, involvement rates may differ, and in some cases significantly, from earlier years.