Feds Rule Commercial Truck Passengers Must Buckle Up

As of August 8, 2016, commercial carriers and drivers will be responsible for making sure any passengers on board their commercial vehicles are buckled up.

“Seat belts save lives – period,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a FMCSA press release issued June 6. “Whether you’re a driver or passenger, in a personal vehicle or large truck, the simple act of wearing a safety belt significantly reduces the risk of fatality in a crash.”

What Has the Track Record Been for Passengers Without Seat Belts in Commercial Trucks?

Feds Rule Commercial Truck Passengers Must Buckle Up

Obviously, large commercial trucks are going to be safer modes of transportation for passengers than smaller motorized vehicles, because commercial carriers don’t incur nearly as bad of damage when colliding with smaller vehicles. Yet, passengers that don’t wear seat belts are still at risk of injury or even death. Here are a few statistics showing the risks of not wearing seat belts in trucks from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA):

• In 2014, 37 deaths were reported due to not being restrained in the cab of a commercial truck.
• One-third of those victims were thrown from the cab of the truck they were passengers in.
• Commercial truck passengers were 73 percent less likely to wear a seat belts than commercial motor vehicle drivers were at 84 percent, according to a 2014 FMCSA survey.

How Effective Seat Belts are at Saving Lives & Preventing Injuries?

Experts are quick to point out that wearing a seat belt is the most effective way to save lives and prevent injuries in the event of auto accidents. The following facts and figures about seat belts and car crash injuries were provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:

• The fact is, motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for those between the ages of 1-and-54 in the United States.
• Approximately 21,022 passengers died in car crashes in 2014.
• More than half of the teenagers (ages 13 to 19) and adults (ages 20 to 44) who died in a crash were not wearing seat belts.

So, according to the statistics and the averages, a passenger wearing a seat belt has approximately 50 percent better chance at surviving a car accident than someone who isn’t.

Contact Lakewood Auto Accident Attorney James L. Finegan

If you or a loved one has been injured in any type of motor vehicle accident, Lakewood Auto Accident Attorney James L. Finegan is here for you, ready to advocate your rights to justice and compensation. For more than three decades, Attorney James L. Finegan and his trusted legal staff have been dedicated to helping the victims of negligence build the strongest possible cases and bring these cases to successful resolutions.

Learn more about your rights and legal options during a free, no obligations case evaluationwith Lakewood Auto Accident Attorney James L. Finegan. To set up this meeting, simply contact our firm by calling (303) 980-5511 or (888) 980-5511 or by emailing us using the form on this page.

From offices based in Lakewood, CO, Attorney James L. Finegan provides superior representation to clients throughout Jefferson County and the state of Colorado, including those in Denver County, Arapahoe County, Douglas County, Adams County and the Colorado Front Range region.