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Safety belt use is on the rise! The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) 2010 annual Safety Belt Usage by Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Drivers Survey indicates that safety belt use among commercial motor vehicle drivers reached 78 percent in 2010— a 20 percent increase over a four-year period (2007– 2010). The usage rate for other occupants in CMVs is 64 percent.

For the 2010 survey, a total of 26,830 CMV drivers and 1,929 other CMV occupants were observed at 998 sites nationwide. Results demonstrate that safety belt use is higher in states with primary belt use laws (80%) than in states with secondary belt use laws (72%). The report also indicates safety belt use among drivers and other occupants identified as part of a regional or national trucking fleet is higher than independent owner-operators. The chart below shows the steady increases in safety belt use by major characteristics from 2007 to 2010.