Commercial Drivers Less Likely to Wear Seat Belts
VINELAND, NJ - Only 72 percent of commercial vehicle drivers wear seat belts compared with 90 percent of passenger-vehicle motorists surveyed by the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization and South Jersey Traffic Safety Alliance.
VINELAND, NJ- Male commercial vehicle drivers are less likely to wear seatbelts than female commercial drivers, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization and South Jersey Traffic Safety Alliance, which found only 72 percent of commercial vehicle drivers wear seat belts.
Male commercial drivers' rate of use was only 71 percent compared to female commercial drivers at 89 percent. The regional rate of seat-belt usage for passenger-vehicle motorists is 90 percent.
The lowest rate among commercial drivers was found in concrete trucks (32 percent), followed by tow trucks (54 percent), trash trucks (57 percent), and tanker trucks (59 percent).
To be counted in the survey, vehicles had to be at least a single-unit truck and have a business logo on it.
The survey also found that commercial vehicle drivers used cell phones while driving at a higher rate than passenger-vehicle drivers, 6 percent to 4 percent.
Go to www.sjtsa.org to view the full report.
More Safety
Nexar-Nauto Merger Aims to Give Fleets Better Safety Intelligence Through Larger Driving Dataset
Stefan Heck tells Automotive Fleet that combining more than 10 billion miles of driving history with Nexar's AI models will give fleets deeper insights into driver risk and roadway conditions than either company could provide independently.
Read More →
Don't Wait for a Crisis: 5 Ways to Build Mental Health Into Your Fleet Safety Program
For Suicide Prevention Month, fleet and safety leaders have an opportunity to put mental health where it belongs: at the center of workplace safety.
Read More →
How Camera Data Can Strengthen a Fleet’s Insurance Renewal
Insights from a commercial insurance carrier and a broker show how fleets can turn video telematic data, driver coaching, and improved claims results into a stronger case at insurance renewal.
Read More →
The Safest Fleets Aren’t the Ones with the Most Technology
You’ve made the telematics investment. Here’s how to capture the other half of its value and build the safest fleet on the road.
Read More →
Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness
Read More →
NETS Sets 2026 Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference for Indianapolis
The Sept. 15–17 program will feature fleet benchmarking data, case studies, emerging technologies, and implementation strategies while running alongside the NSC Safety Congress & Expo.
Read More →
Off-the-Job Crashes Account for 43% of Employers’ $61.7 Billion Crash Burden
NETS quantifies costs dispersed across fleet, risk, HR, and other departments while providing new per-crash benchmarks for employers.
Read More →
Ram Recalls More Than 1.27 Million 1500 Pickups for Seat Belt Anchor Issue
The recall affects certain 2019-2026 Ram 1500 pickups that may have improperly attached second-row seat belt buckle anchors.
Read More →
How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
Operation Safe Driver Week: Why the Industry's Oldest Safety Campaign Still Matters to Fleets
A look at how a 2007 enforcement initiative became one of the most consequential weeks on the fleet safety calendar, and what it means for your drivers in 2026.
Read More →