More intervention needed to combat occupational transportation fatalities: report

Washington – Work-related motor vehicle crashes claimed 8,173 lives from 2003 to 2008, representing 24 percent of all fatal occupational injuries during that period, according to a report released April 28 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Results also showed:

• The annual average fatality rate for workers was 0.9 highway transportation deaths per 100,000 workers.
• Workers employed in the trucking industry accounted for the greatest number (2,320) and highest rate (19.6 per 100,000 full-time workers) of highway transportation deaths.
• Workers older than 54 were at the highest risk for trucking deaths.

Researchers concluded that highway safety, highway designers, labor, state and public health agencies, and other transportation-related entities should work together to implement effective interventions. In addition, researches advised employers to adopt safety policies designed to reduce highway transportation deaths, such as requiring use of safety belts in fleet vehicles, restricting cell phone use while driving and allowing adequate travel time.