Higher Rates of Seatbelt Use, Ban on Text Messaging Will Increase Safety for Truck Drivers
The year 2010 has seen a number of new measures aimed at trucking safety. First, there was the ban on texting while driving for all commercial truck drivers. While no Atlanta truck accident lawyers doubt that a measure like this will keep motorists safer from distracted truckers, it's also true that the truck drivers will benefit from having their attention focused 100% on the highway ahead of them.
News on truckers seat belt usage is encouraging - the numbers of truckers buckling up is higher than in 2007. According to figures released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 74% of all truck drivers now wear seatbelts while driving. Those figures are up from 65% in 2007.
Some interesting facts came out in the FMCSA survey.
· Truck drivers in states that have primary enforcement seat belt laws were more likely to buckle up, as compared to those in states that have secondary enforcement. In primary enforcement states, the compliance rate was 76%, while in other states it was just 67%.
· Drivers working for national fleets had a better rate of compliance with seatbelt laws, as compared to drivers working as independent operators.
· Western states have the highest seatbelt compliance rates with an average of 79% of truckers wearing seat belts.
· The worst compliance rates were seen in the northeastern states, with just 64% of drivers buckling up.
· Southern states had a respectable compliance rate of 75%, which is better than the national average, while the Midwest had a compliance rate of 68%.
Most truck safety efforts focus on the safety of those sharing the road with trucks, for good reason. In approximately 80% of truck accidents, it’s the occupants of the smaller vehicle that have the highest risk of injuries and death. However, every year, hundreds of truck drivers are seriously injured or killed in accidents as well. Wearing a seatbelt is certainly one way a truck driver can increase his or her chances of survival in a truck wreck.
