FMCSA: Truckers buckle up less than four-wheelers

Mar 19, 2006

Truckers are getting better about buckling up, but their seatbelt use is notably lower than for four-wheelers. In 2005, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration observed 4,740 trucks, or 20 percent more trucks than in its 2002 study.

Class 7 and 8 drivers increased belt use from 48 percent in 2002 to 54 percent in 2005, compared to 83 percent belt use for passenger vehicles in 2005. During that three-year period, national and regional fleets improved belt use from 55 percent to 63 percent, while independent and local fleets remained at 44 percent.

FMCSA researchers also found:

Single tankers and hazmat tractor-trailer combinations were the most compliant, while the lowest rates of seatbelt use were in single dump trucks and bobtails:

In 2005, the usage rate among commercial vehicles was higher on weekends at 59 percent than on weekdays at 53 percent.

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