The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), recently said commercial vehicle roadside-safety inspections and traffic-enforcement programs saved 472 lives in 2012.
The annual Roadside Intervention Effectiveness Model (RIEM) analysis credits these programs with saving over 7,000 lives since they began in 2001.
The RIEM report estimates that the programs prevented approximately 9,000 injuries in over 14,000 crashes involving buses and large commercial trucks.
“Over the last several decades, we’ve made tremendous strides in reducing the number of traffic fatalities and injuries on our nation’s roadways,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. “The roadside-safety inspection and traffic enforcement programs exemplify our commitment to continue to raise the bar on safety and build upon our progress.”
Federal, state and municipal commercial vehicle-safety inspectors conduct thousands of unannounced roadside-safety inspections on buses, commercial trucks and their drivers daily.
“We should recognize the essential role played by thousands of carriers and millions of professional truck and bus drivers on the road every day who understand the importance of protecting the safety of the traveling public while also doing their part to move the economy,” FMCSA acting Administrator Scott Darling said. “Our analysis demonstrates that inspectors at roadside and state troopers conducting traffic enforcement are making a vital difference to prevent crashes. In addition, the truck and bus industries are working every day to comply with federal safety regulations designed to make sure that everyone reaches their destination safe and sound.”
