Picture this: you load your truck and set off to a full day of deliveries. While on route to your first stop, a car cuts you off, causing a crash. Luckily, you were wearing your seat belt and it helped save your life. But imagine if you didn’t buckle up. Forgetting this simple safety task can devastate everyone involved, including the person receiving the call that a loved one was hurt in a crash. Fatal crashes on America’s roadways are rising, and not wearing a seat belt is a key contributor.
To help reach the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) goal of zero roadway fatalities, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) launched a new campaign, Y I Buckle Up, to encourage seat belt use at all times. Focused on behavior change among commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers, this campaign directly supports FMCSA’s mission of saving lives by preventing crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.
Between 1960–2012, more than 329,000 lives were saved because of seat belts(1), yet some CMV drivers are still not wearing them (roughly 14% based on a 2016 survey commissioned by FMCSA(2) ). FMCSA is supporting the National Roadway Safety Strategy’s goal of zero deaths and focused on keeping the CMV community safe by closing this gap and ensuring all large truck and bus drivers buckle up.
Buckle up to save lives
Buckling up every time you drive or ride helps reduce injuries and prevent deaths. In 2020, we saw more than 38,000 fatalities on the road(3). And of the large truck-related fatalities in 2020, nearly half (43%) of large truck occupants not wearing a seat belt died (4). Seat belts can help lower these tragic numbers.
Wearing your seat belt:
- Keeps you safe: It’s essential to maintain safety as your priority and focus, which includes wearing a seat belt.
- Helps you make it home each day: Whether it’s family, friends, or even pets, making it home safety to those who depend on you is what matters most.1Transportation.gov2FMCSA:Safety Belt Usage by Commercial Motor Vehicle (SBUCMVD)3NHTSA: Overview of Motor Vehicle Crashes in 20204FMCSA: 2020 Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts (pre-release)
- Is required by law: You take pride in driving safely and understand your crucial role in keeping America moving. Complying with company safety policies and respecting the law are marks of your professionalism.
FMCSA is committed to safety
Y I Buckle Up is part of FMCSA’s Our Roads, Our Safety program, which promotes road safety as everyone’s responsibility. Wearing a seat belt is one simple way to increase safety, no matter how long the trip may be. Use and share new educational materials with the CMV community to communicate the safety need to always buckle up. Want to support other safety initiatives for the CMV community? Check out these resources:
- FMCSA provides grants to government and nonprofit organizations to fund commercial driver training, safety inspections, enhanced safety systems and enforcement, and other safety projects such as a localized seat belt awareness effort.
- Truck and bus drivers can access additional educational materials, such as safety tips, social graphics, and visor cards, to help prepare them for their routes and safely return home to loved ones.
- The Our Roads, Our Safety Facebook page is a central place for easy-to-share tips and posts.
Sources: (1)Transportation.gov (2)FMCSA: Safety Belt Usage by Commercial Motor Vehicle (SBUCMVD) (3)NHTSA: Overview of Motor Vehicle Crashes in 2020 (4)FMCSA: 2020 Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts (pre-release)
