Truckdriver highway fatalities most common in summer

In 1998, 722 truck drivers lost their lives to highway fatalities. Summer was the season with the highest number of truck driver highway fatalities.

[Chart data—TXT]

Because of the high volume of traffic during the summer months, driving during this time can be particularly hazardous. As a result, trucker highway fatalities during the summer months are somewhat greater than during other parts of the year. This was true in 1998 for the U.S. as a whole and for three of the four regions: Western, Southern, and Northeastern. In the Midwestern region, fatalities were highest in the spring.

Because of snow, sleet, and ice, winter driving can be especially challenging. However, truck driver highway fatalities during the winter months in the Northeastern and Midwestern regions were the lowest of all the seasons.

Data on workplace fatalities are from the BLS Safety and Health Statistics Program. To learn more about truck driver fatalities, see "The Unforgiving Road: Trucker Fatalities" (PDF 65K), by Peggy Suarez, Compensation and Working Conditions, Winter 1999.