American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) reported an analysis between the two vehicle types, where the medium-duty trucks generally performing worse than heavy-duty trucks. The study suggests that combining medium- and heavy-duty truck crash statistics drags down the true safety record of the US heavy truck fleet.

The study focused on a 10-year range of separate crashes for medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks, identifying notable crash trends for each vehicle population. In which case a noticeable difference in safety trends was spotted.

“In order to continue to make progress in truck crash rates, we must improve our ability to target safety strategies across all segments of the industry,” said Keith Klein, COO of Transport America. “This research will enhance our industry’s ability to customize safety solutions.”

“This research also points out that blending medium-duty crash statistics with heavy-duty crash statistics may unfairly drag down the safety gains made by heavy-duty truck fleets,” added American Trucking Associations president and CEO Bill Graves. “When it comes to truck safety, clearly one-size solutions do not fit all scenarios.”

Full report at: www.atri-online.org


Why do you guys think this would happen? Is it because the medium duty trucks easily speed up in the highway? Or that heavy-duty trucks take a lot of precautions since they are carrying a huge responsibility?