Heavy trucks pose safety issue in Chile

Official data from Chile shows a worrying trend for fatalities in crashes involving heavy trucks. While such vehicles represent just 4% of the total number of vehicle on Chile’s road, they accounted for 13% of all deaths in traffic accidents during 2011. This data was revealed by Chile’s national traffic safety commission, Conaset. The data revealed that of 1,573 people killed in traffic accidents in 2011, 837 died on board of vehicles. Cars accounted for 39% of all deaths, although they represent 61% of all vehicles in circulation.