This report, Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents Factbook, 2007, provides descriptive statistics about medium and heavy trucks involved in fatal accidents. The data come from the Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents (TIFA) survey program of the Center for National Truck and Bus Statistics (CNTBS) at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). All records in the TIFA file are for trucks with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) over 10,000 pounds. The TIFA file is produced annually from a survey of truck records extracted from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) file, compiled by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Accident, vehicle, and driver records that appear to involve a medium or heavy truck are selected from the FARS file. Police reports for each accident represented are requested from the appropriate states. The 2007 TIFA file is a census file, meaning there is one record for each of the 5,049 medium and heavy trucks involved in a fatal accident that year. Trained and experienced interviewers contact individuals knowledgeable about the truck, including drivers, safety officers, police officers, emergency personnel, and witnesses. The interviewers verify that the vehicle is a truck and then collect information about the truck, truck driver, and the motor carrier that operated the truck. The interview produces a detailed description of the physical configuration of the truck, the operating authority of the truck, and the trip the truck was on at the time of the accident. Editors review each case to ensure accuracy and consistency. The TIFA file combines the detailed physical description of the vehicle from the TIFA survey with matching accident, driver, and vehicle data from the FARS file. Almost all variables in FARS describing the accident, vehicle, and driver are included in the TIFA file. No FARS data are altered or corrected. The TIFA variables supplement the FARS data with extensive detail on the truck, including cab style; axle counts for each unit in the truck configuration; cargo body and cargo type for each unit; truck operating authority; type of trip; hours driving; and the truck’s role in the accident. The methodology, as well as a complete list of variables and data in the TIFA survey, is fully documented in Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents Codebook, 2007. This report consists of six sections. The “Trends” section provides data on fatalities and fatal accident involvements from 2003 through 2007. The “Accident conditions” section provides information about the accidents the trucks were involved in, including distributions of truck fatal involvements across states, and information about the weather, road type, and roadway condition at the time of the accident. The “Vehicle” section includes information about truck configuration, cargo body type and cargo carried, and axle counts of the trucks. The “Driver” section includes information about truck driver injury, licensing, type of compensation, previous driving record, age, sex, and other driver characteristics. The “Straight trucks” section focuses on the characteristics of straight trucks, providing more detail about truck configuration, accident environment, and the truck’s role in the accident. Finally, the “Tractors” section provides similar data on tractor combinations involved in fatal accidents. Virtually all tables present counts of involvements; that is, counts of the trucks involved in a fatal accident by various factors and conditions of interest. (Author/publisher)
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