U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership

March 2006

Increasing Safety Belt Use in Your Company Presentation

Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership

www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safetybelt/index.htm

March 2006

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Part 1.

Important Safety Information for CMV Drivers

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What Happens in a Truck Rollover?
www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safetybelt

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Tell Us Your Story.

Has a Safety Belt Saved Your Life?

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Safety Belt Use for CMV Drivers is the Law

Title 49, Section 392.16 of the Code of Federal Regulations states:

"A commercial motor vehicle that 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."

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Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership:

American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators

American Society of Safety Engineers

American Trucking Associations

Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Great West Casualty Company

International Association of Chiefs of Police

National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools

NATSO

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

National Private Truck Council

National Safety Council

National Tank Truck Carriers

Network of Employers for Highway Safety

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association

Property Casualty Insurers Association of America

Truckload Carriers Association, Professional Truck Drivers Institute

Truck Manufacturers Association

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A message from the CMV Safety Belt Partnership:

As professional organizations representing a substantial number of truck drivers, law enforcement officers, manufacturers, and insurers in the commercial motor vehicle industry throughout North America, we believe our members should set the example for the motoring public.

A recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation shows only 54 percent of commercial motor vehicle drivers wear safety belts compared to 82 percent of passenger vehicle drivers.

In 2004, close to half of the 634 commercial motor vehicle drivers killed in crashes were not wearing safety belts. Of those killed, 168 of them were ejected from their vehicles, and nearly 3 out of 4 were not wearing safety belts.

We have made a commitment to increase safety belt use in the commercial driver community.

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Not wearing your safety belt is costly.

• Motor vehicle crashes of all types are the leading cause of lost work time and on-the-job fatalities in the U.S.

• In 2004, 634 professional truck drivers were killed in crashes.

• A total of 761 occupants of large trucks died in crashes.

• Transportation incidents were the number one cause of on-the-job deaths with 2,460 fatalities recorded out of a total of 5,703 fatal occupational injuries recorded.

• The average cost to a company per injury truck crash is $174,367 and per fatal truck crash is $3,469,962.

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The DIRECT COSTS of not wearing your safety belt:

• Medical care and disability payments; physical and vocational rehabilitation

• Overtime to cover the work of a missing employee

• The loss of special knowledge or skills

• Recruiting and replacing personnel

• Reassigning and/or re-training employees

• Lost business due to absenteeism

• Legal fees

• Increase in long-term rates for workers' compensation, property, liability, commercial auto, and health insurances.

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The INDIRECT COSTS of not wearing your safety belt:

• Lost productivity resulting from using less experienced replacements, time taken by other employees to "fill in", or to train replacements

• Operational delays and losses resulting from the absence of the injured employees' services

• Diminished company reputation

• Lowered employee morale

• Regulatory and enforcement actions

• Inability to attract new employees and retain existing employees.

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The MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS of not wearing your safety belt:

• Redesigning routes and schedules of drivers and shipments

• Interviewing prospective replacements

• Training replacements

• Preparing documentation for insurance claims and workers' compensation

• Writing accident reports in accordance with company, insurance and government requirements

• Managing and participating in litigation.

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Our Corporate Safety Belt Policy

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Our Promise to You!

We will…

• All walk the talk.

• Assign a program coordinator from each department.

• Ensure employee participation.

• Implement a basic safety belt training program.

• Evaluate our safety belt program.

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Why Wear Your Safety Belt?

• In 2004, 634 drivers of large trucks died. (Source: FARS 2004)

• Almost half of the 634 commercial drivers killed in crashes were not wearing safety belts. (Source: FARS 2004)

• Of the 168 drivers who died as a result of being ejected from their trucks, 3 out of 4 of them were not wearing safety belts. (Source: FARS 2004)

• About 27,000 large-truck occupants suffered nonfatal injuries in crashes; 4,000 were incapacitated. (Source: GES 2004, NHTSA)

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Why Wear Your Safety Belt?

• 51% of truck-occupant-fatalities in large trucks involve rollovers. In a rollover, a truck driver is 80% less likely to die when wearing a safety belt. (Source: FARS 2004)

• 29% of the truck drivers surveyed reported that they had been involved in a truck crash at some point in their career. (Source: IMMI 2004 Mid America Trucker Survey)

• 67% of truck drivers killed, who were not wearing a safety belt, were involved in single vehicle crashes. (Source: FARS 2004)

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Why Wear Your Safety Belt?

In 2004, there were

• 5,190 fatalities in large truck-related crashes.

• 116,000 injuries in large truck-related crashes.

• 23,000 estimated number of drivers of large trucks injured in crashes.

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Why Safety Belts Are Effective

• Safety belts, especially lap/shoulder belts, spread the stress and impact forces of a crash along the stronger and broader areas of the body, such as the hips and shoulders, thereby limiting injuries.

• Safety belts, especially lap/shoulder belts, hold you in place while the vehicle absorbs the impact of the crash and decelerates.

• The safety belt protects your head and spinal cord.

• Safety belts prevent occupants from being ejected from the vehicle or thrown around inside the vehicle, where they can strike objects within the cab.

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Why Safety Belts Are Effective

• Safety belts prevent serious injuries and fatalities by minimizing the possibility of truck occupants striking the steering wheel, shift lever, windshield, dashboard, side doors and windows, roof, other objects, and other occupants.

• In a crash, a safety belt keeps the driver in place behind the steering wheel and in control of the vehicle, thereby avoiding or reducing the consequences of a crash and minimizing the chance of serious injury or death.

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Why Safety Belts Are Effective

• Safety belts can keep you from being knocked unconscious, improving your chances of escape. Fire or submersion occurs in less than 5% of fatal large truck crashes.

• In 2004, 168 truck drivers died when they were ejected from their cabs during a crash.

• In a frontal collision occurring at 30 mph, an unbelted person continues to move forward at 30 mph causing him/her to hit the windshield at about 30 mph. This is the same velocity a person falling from the top of a three-story building would experience upon impact with the ground.

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Does the Safety Belt Fit Properly?

Effectiveness and comfort decrease when your safety belt is worn improperly. Here's what you don't want to do:

• Do not allow the buckle to be located in the stomach or abdomen area.

• Do not wear the shoulder straps under your arms or behind your back.

• Do not wear the shoulder belt too snug, or let it rub against your neck.

• Do not allow the belts to become too loose as you travel. Sometimes, as you travel, additional slack may occur. For example, when you lean forward the safety belt retractor may leave too much slack when you sit back into your normal seated position. If the lap and/or shoulder belts are too loose, they may not be able to hold you in place during a crash.

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Does the Safety Belt Fit Properly?

Here's what you do want to do:

• Do wear the lap belt low on the lap, two to four inches below the waist, and against the thighs. The strong bones of the hips can absorb the forces experienced in a crash.

• Do wear the shoulder straps across the center of the chest and the center of the shoulder.

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Does the Safety Belt Fit Properly?

To correct a shoulder belt that is too snug or rubs against your neck:

1. Bring the belt snugly over your body, pull the shoulder belt out at least 5 inches and let it return to your chest.

2. Pull down on the shoulder belt only as far as necessary to ease the pressure and let it go. The shoulder belt will then stay in position.

3. Get rid of additional slack, every so often, pull the belt out at least five inches and let go. Slack is automatically removed. Check your owner's manual for detailed instructions on the amount of slack considered safe for that model.

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Maintain Your Safety Belt!

• Inspect you safety belt just as you perform regular inspections of many equipment items on your truck, such as brakes, tires, etc.

• Make it a part of your routine to periodically examine yoursafety belt equipment to be sure itstill functions correctly and there are not worn or broken components that either need repair or replacement.

• Be sure to consult the truck operator's manual for safety belt care and maintenance tips.

• Have the fleet service department inspectyour safety belt equipment during each periodicscheduled truck maintenance session.

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Your Family and Your Community Depend On You!

• Refusing to use your safety belt is like refusing a free insurance policy.

• If you feel restricted by a safety belt, imagine how you might feel if you were restricted to a hospital bed or wheelchair because you chose not to wear a safety belt.

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Your Family and Your Community Depend On You!

You should also consider how your family might be impacted if you were unbuckled and involved in a crash.

• What would my family do without me?

• Will my employer's health and workers' compensation insurance cover me if I'm in violation of my company's safety belt policy?

• In addition to any injuries that I might experience, what kind of disciplinary action will I be subjected?

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Safety Belt Pledge

I, [employee name], have received a copy of [company name] safety belt policy. I have read the policy and have had the opportunity to ask questions. I fully understand the company's penalty for violation of this policy.

I hereby pledge that I will use safety belts whenever driving or riding in a company vehicle or in any other vehicle when on company business.

I also pledge that passengers of vehicles I am driving will wear safety belts.

[Signature of Employee]

[Signature of Supervisor]

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Part 2.

Myths and Facts About Safety Belts

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MYTH 1

Safety belts are uncomfortable and restrict movement.

FACT

The 2005 Transportation Research Board study on commercial drivers' safety belt use found many drivers do not find wearing safety belts to be uncomfortable or restrictive of their movements. Once they correctly adjust the seat, lap and should belt, most drivers find that discomfort and restrictive movement can be alleviated.

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MYTH 2

Wearing a safety belt is a personal decision that doesn't affect anyone else.

FACT

Not wearing a safety belt can certainly affect your family and loved ones. It can affect other motorists since wearing a safety belt can help you avoid losing control of your truck in a crash. It's also the Law; Federal regulations require commercial vehicle drivers to buckle up. Safety belts are a driver's last line of defense in a crash.

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MYTH 3

Safety belts prevent your escape from a burning or submerged vehicle.

FACT

Safety belts can keep you from being knocked unconscious, improving your chances of escape. Fire or submersion occurs in less than 5% of fatal large truck crashes.

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MYTH 4

It's better to be thrown clear of the wreckage in the event of a crash.

FACT

An occupant of a vehicle is four times as likely to be fatally injured when thrown from the vehicle. In 2004, 168 truck drivers died when they were ejected from their cabs during a crash.

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MYTH 5

It takes too much time to fasten your safety belt 20 times a day.

FACT

Buckling up takes about three seconds. Even buckling up 20 times a day requires only one minute.

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MYTH 6

Good truck drivers don't need to wear safety belts.

FACT

Good drivers usually don't cause collisions, but it's possible that during your career you will be involved in a crash caused by a bad driver, bad weather, mechanical failure, or tire blowout. Wearing a safety belt prevents injuries and fatalities by preventing ejection, and by protecting your head and spinal cord.

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MYTH 7

A large truck will protect you. Safety belts are unnecessary.

FACT

In 2004, 634 drivers of large trucks died in truck crashes and 303 of those truck drivers were not wearing safety belts.

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MYTH 8

Safety belts aren't necessary for low-speed driving.

FACT

In a frontal collision occurring at 30 mph, an unbelted person continues to move forward at 30 mph causing him/her to hit frontal interior components (such as the steering wheel, instrument panel, or windshield) at about 30 mph. This is the same velocity a person falling from the top of a three-story building would experience upon impact with the ground.

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MYTH 9

A lap belt offers sufficient protection.

FACT

The lap and shoulder belt design has been proven to hold a driver securely behind the wheel in the event of a crash, greatly increasing the driver's ability to maintain control of the vehicle and minimizing the chance for serious injury or death.

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Be Ready. Be Buckled.

America Needs You.

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Part 3.

Knowledge Test 1

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1. In a crash, being thrown from a vehicle:

a. Increase the chance of death or serious injury

b. Decreases the chance of death or serious injury

c. Has no effect on the chance of death or serious injury

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2. If a vehicle is in a crash and becomes submerged in water, a driver's chances of escaping from the vehicle are:

a. Increased by wearing a safety belt

b. Decreased by wearing a safety belt

c. Not affected by wearing a safety belt

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3. Safety belts prevent injury:

a. Most often on long trips

b. Most often on short trips

c. On all trips

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4. Safety belts prevent injury:

a. Most often in bad weather

b. Most often in good weather

c. In all weather conditions

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5. A driver's ability to control the vehicle in an emergency is:

a. Hampered by safety belts

b. Improved by safety belts

c. Unaffected by safety belts

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6. Besides your own safety, not wearing a safety belt can certainly affect:

a. Your family and loved ones

b. Other motorists since wearing a safety belt can help you avoid losing control of your truck in a crashs

c. All of the above

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7. The lap and shoulder belt design has been proven to:

a. Hold a driver securely behind the wheel in the event of a crash

b. Greatly increase the driver's ability to maintain control of the vehicle

c. Minimize the chance for serious injury or death

d. All of the above

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8. In a frontal collision occurring at 30 mph, an unbelted person continues to move forward causing him/her to hit frontal interior components (such as the steering wheel, instrument panel, or windshield) at about 30 mph. This is the same velocity a person falling from the top of a ________ upon impact with the ground:

a. Thirty-story building

b. Three-story building

c. One-story building

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9. If a passenger fails to wear a safety belt, the driver's chances of being injured are:

a. Increased

b. Decreased

c. Not affected

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Knowledge Test 1 Answers

1. a, 2. a, 3. c, 4. c, 5. b, 6. c, 7. d, 8. b, 9. a

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Part 4.

Knowledge Test 2

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1. Good drivers know how to avoid crashes. Only poor drivers need to wear safety belts. (T/F)

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1. FALSE. Even expert and alert drivers have no control over other drivers on the road. Truck driving is third only to farming and mining in the number of fatalities per 100,000 workers.

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2. If the vehicle catches on fire or submerges, the safety belts will trap the occupants inside. (T/F)

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2. FALSE. Fire or submersion occurs in less than five percent of heavy-duty truck crashes. If you are belted and unhurt, you are more likely to remain conscious and alert. Therefore, you are more likely to be able to escape from the vehicle. If you are not wearing the safety belt, you are more likely to become unconscious or hurt by striking other parts of the vehicle's interior.

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3. Wearing a safety belt is a personal decision that doesn't affect anyone else. (T/F)

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3. FALSE. Not wearing a safety belt can certainly affect your family and loved ones. It can also affect other motorists since wearing a safety belt can help you avoid losing control of your truck in a crash. It's the law; Federal regulations require commercial vehicle drivers to buckle up.

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4. If you are thrown from the vehicle, your chances of injury will be lower than if you had been wearing your safety belt. (T/F)

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4. FALSE. If you are thrown from a vehicle in a crash, the chances of death or serious injury are four times greater than if you remain belted inside. If you are thrown from the vehicle, you may land on hard or sharp objects, be struck by your own vehicle, or struck by another vehicle.

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5. Safety belts will not protect the driver against injury in the case of a side impact. (T/F)

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5. FALSE. Side impacts can cause truck occupants to be thrown into each other or into hard interior surfaces of the cab. In addition, safety belts keep the driver in place so that control of the vehicle can be maintained, thereby providing the driver with the opportunity of avoiding a second or third collision.

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6. Although studies have shown that safety belts reduce the chances of injury or death in automobiles, they do not apply to large trucks. (T/F)

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6. FALSE. According to 2004 Fatal Analysis Reporting System statistics, almost half of drivers of large trucks killed in crashes were not wearing their safety belts.

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7. Forty-nine states (as of January 2006), the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have laws requiring safety belt use. (T/F)

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7. TRUE. Because most of these laws have been enacted during the past several years, many drivers are not yet aware of how committed the States are on the subject. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations also require that safety belts be used.