FMCSA to study seatbelt usage among commercial vehicle drivers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is launching a study to better understand seatbelt usage among commercial vehicle drivers.

In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on June 13, the FMCSA announced plans to survey truckers in order to “understand CMV drivers’ perceptions and behaviors regarding safety belt usage and road safety.”

The agency plans to administer an online survey on attitudes towards seatbelt usage to approximately 1000 commercial vehicle drivers.

“Existing data on the usage of safety belts and perceptions related to road safety do not capture the diversity of different types of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers in a post-coronavirus disease 2019 national emergency landscape. Understanding safety belt usage and perceptions of road safety among CMV drivers will assist FMCSA in gauging emerging trends among this cohort and will inform future messaging and communication efforts targeting CMV drivers,” the FMCSA said.

Federal regulations require seatbelt usage by commercial vehicle drivers, but many truckers do not wear them because they feel that they are uncomfortable or because they feel protected by the size of their semi truck.

The FMCSA will accept public comments on the proposed seatbelt study. You can follow this link to submit your comment after the notice publishes in the Federal Register on June 13.