August 21, 2006

Lansing - Truck drivers operating in Michigan use safety belts 74.1 percent of the time, which exceeds the national average of 48 percent, according to a recent direct observation study conducted by the Wayne State University Transportation Research Group.

It is known the trucking industry lags behind the general public in safety belt use, as Michigan ’s safety use rate for passenger vehicles has hit an all-time high at 94 percent.

“In Michigan , officers with the Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Division take a zero-tolerance approach to safety belt use by truck drivers,” stated Capt. Robert R. Powers, Jr., commanding officer of the Motor Carrier Division. “We’re pleased to see that strict enforcement of the state’s primary safety belt law is leading to increased compliance, but we still have a ways to go.”

The safety belt observation study was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (USDOT/FMCSA).

“Improving commercial vehicle safety requires a partnership of many diverse groups, and the US Department of Transportation is glad to participate in this strategy for Michigan ,” said Mr. Timothy Cotter, Administrator, Michigan Division, USDOT/FMCSA.

In total, 2,644 commercial vehicles were observed at 181 different locations, including urban and rural locations in both peninsulas.

  The study found that younger truck drivers, under age 29, were slightly less likely to wear a safety belt at 70.6 percent use compared to 73.4 percent for truck drivers age 30 - 59 and 74.1 percent for drivers age 60 and older.

Additionally, the rate for passengers in trucks was significantly lower at 53.4 percent.

The study also found that truck drivers with Michigan license plates were less likely to buckle up than their counterparts in other states. Michigan drivers had a 71.8 percent safety belt use rate, while drivers from Quebec had a 93.3 percent rate; Pennsylvania drivers had an 83.3 percent rate and Missouri drivers an 80 percent usage rate. Of the 14 states with more than 10 observations, Michigan drivers had the lowest usage rate.

The study also found that interstate truck drivers were more likely to wear safety belts than local drivers, at 74.8 percent and 66.3 percent, respectively. Surprisingly, hazardous materials drivers used safety belts less often than general freight drivers, at 68.5 percent and 73.5 percent, respectively.

The study also found the following use rates: