A new survey by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) finds that 78% of commercial truck and bus drivers wore safety belts while behind the wheel in 2010, compared to 74% in 2009. Longer term, the number of commercial drivers wearing safety belts has increased 14% since 2007.
FMCSA's Safety Belt Usage by Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Survey observed some 26,830 commercial drivers operating medium- to heavy-duty trucks and buses at 998 roadside sites nationwide.
The survey found that safety belt use for commercial drivers and their occupants was higher (80%) in states where law enforcement may stop drivers for not wearing a safety belt, versus 72% in states with weaker secondary enforcement belt use laws.
A regional breakdown showed that safety belt use rates for commercial drivers and their occupants were highest in the West (82%) compared with 79% in the South, 73% in the Midwest and 69% in the Northeast.
