New Rule Says Passengers in Large Commercial Trucks Must Wear Seat Belts
"Using a seat belt is one of the safest, easiest, and smartest choices drivers and passengers can make before starting out on any road trip," said FMCSA Acting Administrator Scott Darling. "This rule further protects large truck occupants and will undoubtedly save more lives."
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a final rule requiring that passengers in large commercial trucks wear seat belts whenever the vehicles are operated on public roads in interstate commerce. It will take effect Aug. 8, 2016, and holds motor carriers and drivers responsible for ensuring that passengers riding in large commercial trucks are using seat belts.
"Seat belts save lives, period," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "Whether you’re a driver or passenger, in a personal vehicle or large truck, the simple act of wearing a safety belt significantly reduces the risk of fatality in a crash."
According to DOT, during 2014, 37 passengers traveling unrestrained in the cabs of large trucks died in roadway crashes; this information comes from the most recently available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and indicates about one-third of those victims were ejected from the truck cab by the impact.
And FMCSA's most recent Seat Belt Usage by Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Survey found that commercial motor vehicle passengers use seat belts at a lower rate (73 percent) than CMV drivers (84 percent); the data were published in March 2014. A federal rule already requires all commercial drivers to use seat belts, using this text: "A commercial motor vehicle which has a seat belt assembly installed at the driver's seat shall not be driven unless the driver has properly restrained himself/herself with the seat belt assembly."
"Using a seat belt is one of the safest, easiest, and smartest choices drivers and passengers can make before starting out on any road trip," said FMCSA Acting Administrator Scott Darling. "This rule further protects large truck occupants and will undoubtedly save more lives."