Truck Accident News

USDOT, Truckers To Combat Low Safety Belt Use; New Survey Shows Less Than Half Of Truckers Buckle Up

ATLANTA-U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today announced a new national public-private partnership to combat low safety belt use among the nation's 11 million truck drivers. The announcement was prompted by a new national study released by the Secretary that found only 48 percent of all commercial vehicle drivers wear safety belts.

"If you are one of the more than five and a half million truck drivers who choose not to wear your safety belt, I have a message for you. Uncle Sam wants you, no, needs you to buckle up," Secretary Mineta said at an event in Atlanta. "Today, we launch the broadest effort this country has ever seen to get truckers to wear their safety belts."

Nationally, 79 percent of passenger vehicle drivers wear safety belts. In comparison, the low number of truck drivers buckling up has taken a severe toll. In 2002, of the 588 commercial drivers killed in crashes more than half were not wearing safety belts. Of the 171 drivers who were ejected from their trucks, almost 80 percent of them were not wearing safety belts.

Contact our lawyer now If you have experienced personal injuries or substantial income loss as a result of a truck accident in Maryland. Our lawyers are here to give you a free case review and to fight for you in court.

	Did You Know?
	Raising The Number Of Driving Hours Save Lives. The longer off-duty time allows drivers to have more regular schedules and increases the potential for quality sleep. This is consistent with fatigue- and sleep-related studies considered in development of the rule that indicate the amount and quality of sleep a person receives has a strong influence on alertness.