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Click it or Ticket! National Seat Belt Enforcement Mobilization - May 23 - June 5, 2022

Apr. 29 2022 Safety By McCandless Idealease

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The latest Idealease Safety Bulletin titled "Click It or Ticket" is now available to read, share and download!  

Don't forget to sign up to have the weekly bulletin delivered straight to your inbox  for instant access to the latest safety news, tips and information!  

You can view all past Idealease safety bulletins online at: https://www.idealease.com/safety-compliance/safety-bulletins

In this issue:

  • National Seat Belt Enforcement Mobilization
  • Seat Belts Save Lives
  • Does your company driver policy address seat belt usage?
  • Seat Belt Myth’s
  • FMCSA Announces Intent to Proceed with Speed Limiter Devices
  • May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
  • International Roadcheck Set for May 17th-19th with Emphasis on Wheel Ends


NATIONAL SEAT BELT ENFORCEMENT MOBILIZATION - May 23 - June 5, 2022

https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/click-it-or-ticket

SEAT BELTS SAVE LIVES!

Tips for increased seat belt usage:

  • A company policy states that the seat belt is to be always worn in all company vehicles while the vehicle is in motion.
  • Defined disciplinary action in your company policy to be taken when a driver receives a seat belt violation.
  • When ordering your trucks specify them with bright orange or yellow seat belts for better belt visibility.
  • Consider providing a company seat belt life insurance policy for drivers as an incentive for them to wear their seat belts.  The policy would pay the driver’s beneficiary if they were killed in an accident while driving their truck and wearing a seat belt.
  • There is technology now available that will not let the driver start the truck unless the driver’s seat belt is fastened.

Does your company driver policy address seat belt usage?

One of the safest choices drivers and passengers can make is to buckle up. Many Americans understand the lifesaving value of the seat belt – the national use rate was at 90.4% in 2021. Seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017. Understand the potentially fatal consequences of not wearing a seat belt and learn what you can do to make sure you and your family are properly buckled up every time.

Question: Is it a requirement of the Federal Motor Carrier regulations for a driver to wear a safety belt while driving a commercial motor vehicle?

Answer: FMCSR 392.16 requires a driver to wear a safety belt while in operation of a Commercial Vehicle. 

SEAT BELT MYTHS https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/cmv-fact-myth-brochure.pdf

MYTH 1: Safety belts are uncomfortable and restrict movement.
FACT: A 2005 Transportation Research Board study on commercial drivers' safety belt usage found many drivers do not find wearing safety belts to be uncomfortable or too restrictive of their movements. Once they correctly adjust the seat, lap, and shoulder belt, most drivers find that discomfort and restrictive movement can be alleviated.

MYTH 2: Wearing a safety belt is a personal decision that does not affect anyone else.
FACT: Not wearing a safety belt can certainly affect your family and loved ones. It can also affect other motorists since wearing a safety belt can help you avoid losing control of your truck in a crash. It's the law; Federal regulations require commercial vehicle drivers to buckle up.

MYTH 3: Safety belts prevent your escape from a burning or submerged vehicle.
FACT: Safety belts can keep you from being knocked unconscious, improving your chances of escape. Fire or submersion occurs in less than 5% of fatal large truck crashes.

MYTH 4: It's better to be thrown clear of the wreckage in the event of a crash.
FACT: An occupant of a vehicle is four times as likely to be fatally injured when thrown from the vehicle. In 2004, 168 truck drivers died when they were ejected from their cabs during a crash.

MYTH 5: It takes too much time to fasten your safety belt 20 times a day.
FACT: Buckling up takes about three seconds. Even buckling up 20 times a day requires only one minute.

MYTH 6: Good truck drivers don't need to wear safety belts.
FACT: Good drivers usually don't cause collisions, but it's possible that during your career you will be involved in a crash caused by a bad driver, bad weather, mechanical failure, or tire blowout. Wearing a safety belt prevents injuries and fatalities by preventing ejection, and by protecting your head and spinal cord.

MYTH 7: A large truck will protect you. Safety belts are unnecessary.
FACT: In 2004, 634 drivers of large trucks died in truck crashes and 303 of those drivers were not wearing safety belts. Of the 168 drivers killed who were ejected from their vehicles, almost 75% were not wearing safety belts.

MYTH 8: Safety belts aren't necessary for low-speed driving.
FACT: In a frontal collision occurring at 30 mph, an unbelted person continues to move forward at 30 mph causing him/her to hit the windshield at about 30 mph. This is the same velocity a person falling from the top of a three-story building would experience upon impact with the ground.

MYTH 9: A lap belt offers sufficient protection.
FACT: The lap and shoulder belt design has been proven to hold a driver securely behind the wheel in the event of a crash, greatly increasing the driver's ability to maintain control of the vehicle and minimizing the chance of serious injury or death.


FMCSA ANNOUNCES INTENT TO PROCEED WITH SPEED LIMITER DEVICES

In a Notice of Intent document published on April 27, the FMCSA “announces its intent to proceed with a speed limiter rulemaking by preparing a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to follow up on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s and FMCSA’s jointly issued September 7, 2016 notice of proposed rulemaking on this subject.”

The FMCSA plans to propose that any commercial vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds or more be equipped with an electronic engine control unit (ECU) that will be capable of governing speed to a limit that will be determined during the rulemaking process.


Upcoming events and reminders:

MAY IS MOTORCYCLE AWARENESS MONTH!

Motorist awareness is an important component of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's comprehensive motorcycle safety program. 

Over two-thirds of fatal motorcycle crashes involve a motorcycle and another vehicle. The motorist either does not see the oncoming motorcycle at all or does not see the motorcycle in time to avoid a crash. It is important for motorists to know that their actions affect the safety of motorcyclists. A motorist and a motorcyclist may take different actions in the same driving or highway situation. 

CVSA'S INTERNATIONAL ROADCHECK (MAY 17-19)

Learn More: https://www.cvsa.org/programs/international-roadcheck/


*The Idealease Safety Bulletin is provided for Idealease locations and their customers and is not to be construed as a complete or exhaustive source of compliance or safety information. The Idealease Safety Bulletin is advisory in nature and does not warrant, guarantee, or otherwise certify compliance with laws, regulations, requirements, or guidelines of any local, state, or Federal agency and/or governing body, or industry standards.