Seat belts can help save lives in an accident, whether you’re in a passenger vehicle or a large commercial vehicle like a tractor-trailer. A recent study by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) shows that truck drivers are buckling up more than ever before. The FMCSA still encourages passenger vehicle drivers to buckle up as well, since this simple tool can prevent death or serious injuries in a truck accident.
According to the FMCSA, seat belt use among truck drivers was up to 78 percent in 2010, from 74 percent in 2009. Truck drivers were more likely to buckle up in states that had primary seat belt laws than they were in states with secondary laws. A primary seat belt law allows law enforcement to stop a vehicle if the driver is not wearing a seat belt, even if he or she has done nothing else to warrant a stop. A secondary law, on the other hand, can only be enforced if the vehicle has already been stopped for some other reason.
In addition, drivers that worked for trucking companies that operated a fleet of trucks averaged an 80 percent rate of buckling up, while independent owner-operators averaged only 71 percent. The FMCSA hypothesizes that greater safety awareness by trucking companies may have more to do with the increase in their drivers wearing seat belts. Fleet drivers and owner-operators tend to cause roughly the same number of accidents each year, however, indicating that more focus on drivers protecting others on the road is also needed.
A seat belt can protect anyone wearing it in a crash, but it can’t prevent a negligent driver from causing an accident. At Page Law, our experienced St. Louis truck accident lawyers are dedicated to representing those who have been injured in accidents with trucks and other large vehicles. To learn more about how we can help you, call us today at (314) 322-8515 for a free and confidential consultation.
