Commercial Vehicle Safety Belt Technology Study
Read more about a study on new seat belt technologies and what they could mean to the safety of your drivers.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Safety Belt Technology Countermeasures Study has released Safety Belt Technology Countermeasures Study, conducted by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. The report evaluates promising safety belt technologies and analyzes actual crash data to estimate the costs and benefits of increasing safety belt use among large truck drivers. The study looks at 13 technologies in three categories — reminder systems, comfort strategies and enforcement strategies.
Four technologies are identified as promising improved driver safety belt use. An enhanced audio reminder (similar to that currently used in cars) and brightly colored safety belts (bright orange gaining wider acceptance in fleet use) are considered cost effective. The enhanced audio reminder has a benefit-to-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.7 for all large trucks and a BCR of 4.5 for class 7 (GVW 26,001 – 33,000 lbs) and class 8 (GVW over 33,000 lbs) trucks. Bright safety belts have a BCR of 2.6 for all trucks and 6.9 for class 7 and 8 trucks. Safety belt tension adjusters are widely available but require considerable driver training. Seat-integrated restraint systems are costly and do not currently provide a cost-beneficial solution.
Putting the BCR into dollar terms, the report indicated that a 15% increase in safety belt use justifies a per-vehicle cost of $273 for all large trucks (over 10,000 lbs GVW0, and $725 per vehicle for class 7 and 8 trucks alone. A 5% increase in safety belt use justifies a per-vehicle cost of $91 for all large trucks and $240 per vehicle for class 7 and 8 trucks alone.
The study also looks at safety belt use in rollover accidents. Crash statistics show that a rollover is the most common large truck driver fatality accident type. The study concludes that 39% of large truck rollover fatalities could be prevented with safety belt use, while 47 to 71% of moderate to severe injuries resulting from rollovers could be lessened with safety belt use.
On average, nearly 700 truck drivers are killed in traffic crashes in the United States each year according to FMCSA. This tragic statistic is made worse by the fact that, on average, only 59% of professional truck drivers wear their safety belts. New technologies identified in this recent study will have an impact on both safety belt usage and driver safety.
For the complete Safety Belt Technology Countermeasures Study, visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov.
[Courtesy of Property Casualty Insurers Association of America]
