Crashes are the leading cause of on-the-job death for truck drivers in the US

Many truck drivers do not use a seat belt on every trip

Our nation depends on truck drivers to deliver goods and services safely and efficiently. Yet, crashes involving large trucks continue to take a toll on truck drivers, their passengers, other road users, business, and the community. Overall, 317,000 motor vehicle crashes involving large trucks were reported to police in 2012, according to the latest Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The estimated cost of truck and bus crashes to the United States economy was $99 billion that same year.

Vital Signs is a report that appears on the first Tuesday of the month as part of the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, or MMWR. The report provides the latest data and information on key health indicators. These are cancer prevention, obesity, tobacco use, motor vehicle passenger safety, prescription drug overdose, HIV/AIDS, alcohol use, health care-associated infections, cardiovascular health, teen pregnancy, and food safety.

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Trucker Safety

Using a seat belt matters

March 2015

317,000

An estimated 317,000 motor vehicle crashes involving a large truck were reported to the police in the US in 2012.

26,000

26,000 truck drivers or their passengers were injured in crashes in 2012.

700

About 700 truck drivers or their passengers died in crashes in 2012. Buckling up could have saved up to 40% of the unbelted truck drivers.

Trucker safety requires an alert, buckled-up, experienced driver, with a reliable vehicle and strong employer safety programs. About 2.6 million workers drive trucks that weigh over 10,000 pounds (large trucks). About 65% of on-the-job deaths of US truck drivers in 2012 were the result of a motor vehicle crash. More than 1 in 3 truck drivers have had a serious truck crash during their career, and 1 in 8 has had 2 or more. Buckling up is both effective and required by federal regulations. But 1 in 6 drivers of large trucks don't use their seat belts (2013). More than 1 in 3 truck drivers who died in crashes in 2012 were not wearing seat belts. Buckling up could have prevented up to 40% of these deaths.

Employers can help truck drivers stay safe by:

Committing to driver safety programs at the highest level of leadership.
Establishing and enforcing driver safety policies, including requiring everyone in the truck to buckle up.
Involving workers in decisions about how to put seat belt programs in place.
Promoting seat belt use in training and safety meetings.
Addressing factors that contribute to crashes, such as drowsy and distracted driving, in their driver safety programs.