
Driver error is cited more frequently in fatal crashes involving passenger vehicles than commercial trucks, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System. The newest statistics, culled from driver-related factors in police accident reports during 2010, show about one-third of truck drivers involved in fatal crashes were cited, compared to about two-thirds of passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes.
Driver-related errors include speeding, fatigue and inattention. Vehicle-related factors, such as bad brakes, unsafe tires or broken lights, were cited in only 4.2 percent of fatal truck crashes and 3.1 percent of fatal passenger vehicle crashes.
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