Report: More Trucking Fatalities Linked to Lax Seatbelt Use
June 07, 2023
Trucking fatalities involving drivers not wearing their seatbelts jumped 20 percent year-over-year, according to the latest federal data.
In 2021 — the most recent data available — 64 percent of drivers killed in large truck crashes weren’t wearing a seatbelt, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
That number was 44 percent in 2020 and 59 percent in 2019.
Speeding was the main reason cited for fatal crashes, accounting for 7 percent of them, the report stated.
It also found that the total number of fatal crashes rose in 2021 by around 16 percent from 2020, while driver fatalities climbed around 19 percent in the same time span, according to the data.