More truckers are buckling up than ever before

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Safety belt usage among commercial motor vehicle drivers increased significantly in 2006 — up 23 percent — underscoring the effectiveness of efforts by the American Trucking Associations, the DOT, and other industry groups to improve safety on U.S. highways as part of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership, says the trucking association.

The U.S. Department of Transportation reported that 59 percent of Class 7 and 8 truck drivers now routinely wear safety belts. This marks a 23 percent increase in safety belt usage among commercial drivers since 2003.

America’s largest national and regional fleets posted the highest percentage increase in safety belt use, jumping to 75 percent in 2006 from 63 percent a year earlier.

Independent drivers also increased their safety belt usage rate to 44 percent in 2006 from 41 percent in 2005. Additionally, the highest usage rates were for drivers of hazardous materials (84 percent) and tank trucks (83 percent).

“While these numbers illustrate the continuing improvement in safety among our professional drivers, truck drivers still are not wearing their safety belts enough,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “Saving lives by increasing safety belt use within the trucking industry is a high-priority issue for ATA because trucking continues to lag the overall motoring population in terms of safety belt use.”

ATA’s seat belt initiative includes calling for primary safety belt laws in all 50 states.

Other safety actions include petitioning the DOT to limit the maximum speed of large trucks at the time of manufacture to no more than 68 miles per hour, greater enforcement of traffic laws against unsafe driving actions around large trucks.

The Ontario Trucking Association has been lobbying for a similar speed limiter rule in Canada for the last year.