ARLINGTON, Va. — The number of truck accidents continues to drop, and fewer drivers than ever are being hurt.

Still, trucking industry leaders stateside feel more can be done to make the industry and the nation’s highways even safer.

According to a recent report, in 2009 in the U.S., there were only 1.17 truck-involved fatalities for every 100 million miles driven.

That makes it the safest year since ’75, the year the U.S. government started counting.

According to statistics gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2009, there were 3,380 fatalities in 2,987 crashes.

The previous year both numbers were higher. Two thousand and eight saw 4,245 fatalities in 3,754 crashes.

The American Trucking Associations said these stats signify that trucking is the safest its ever been, but it can get better.

The ATA has called on the federal government to encourage incentive-based programs to boost the installation of safety technology.

At a press conference on Monday, ATA President and CEO Bill Graves, Chairman Barbara Windsor along with ATA vice president of affairs, Dave Osiecki, agreed that the battle to make highways safer is not over.

Among other things, the ATA says the feds should consider tax incentives for new safety equipment, a national clearinghouse for drug and alcohol test results and advanced notification systems for drivers having problems on the road.

"Mandates take longer over time than do incentive-based programs for voluntary adoption," Osiecki said, noting that regulations can take many years to develop. "We have to move to a safety management model."