ATLANTA — Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta is pleading with the country’s 11 million truckers to change their spotty seat belt habits, citing a new study that found 52 percent of them don’t buckle up.
The study done for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, www.fmcsa.dot.gov, examined seat belt use among 3,909 truck drivers in 12 states during 2002.
The study found that only 48 percent of all commercial vehicle drivers wear safety belts. In comparison, 79 percent of passenger vehicle drivers wear seat belts.
"There is a myth out there that the big rig will provide all the safety you need so you don’t need to wear a safety belt. The facts suggest otherwise," Mineta said Tuesday during a news conference at an Atlanta truck company.
Last year, of the 588 commercial drivers killed in crashes, more than half were not wearing seat belts. And, of the 171 drivers thrown from their trucks, almost 80 percent were not wearing seat belts.
Only 20 states have compulsory seat belt laws, though federal regulations require all commercial truck drivers to buckle up, officials said.
Copyright ©2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
