WASHINGTON, D.C. – Fatal crashes involving large trucks were up slightly from 2012 to 2013, according to numbers crunched by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Although fewer truck occupants were killed in crashes (691 in 2013, compared to 697 in 2012), and fewer occupants of other vehicles too, there was a spike in the deaths of non-occupants, leading to an overall 0.5% increase in the number of people killed in crashes involving large trucks.

According to the NHTSA report, which you can read here http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812101.pdf , the number of non-occupants killed during a large-truck crash increased by 13 percent (49 people) from 2012 to 2013.

Because the number of fatal crashes involving large trucks is relatively small compared to those involving other vehicles, even small changes in the numbers of fatalities may result in large percent- age changes.

The increase in deaths resulting from crashes involving large trucks defies a general trend of declining fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.

The number of truck-involved injuries fell by about 9,000.

Overall, fatalities on U.S. roadways have continued the general decrease seen in all of the past nine years except for 2012. Despite the decline in fatalities, the U.S. still lost 32,719 people in crashes on roadways during 2013, down from 33,782 in 2012.

The number of people injured on roads decreased in 2013 as well, falling from 2.4 to 2.3 million injured people.

Fatalities and injuries declined in almost all segments of the population – passenger vehicle occupants, large-truck occupants, pedestrians, young drivers, and with alcohol-impaired driving fatalities.