Reducing vehicular injuries is one of the best ways to save money on truck insurance and other expenses. The most cost-effective method for a trucking company to achieve this is to ensure that all drivers wear seat belts while driving. This is also a legal requirement, and refusal to wear a seat belt can result in a fine.
Indeed, several truckers are saved by wearing seat belts. Seat belts protected approximately twelve thousand lives in 2001, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There is also evidence that not wearing a seat belt can signify other dangerous driving habits.
In 2016, 90 percent of people riding in vehicles wore seat belts. In fact, if people do not buckle up, one out of every ten persons is more likely to be severely hurt or killed in an accident. The most probable group of people that do not use a seat belt are young men and professional truck drivers.
In this article, we will discuss myths regarding wearing a seat belt. Read on.
Do Seat Belts Save Lives?
During an investigation of 13,854 crash victims, the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Health Systems Research and Analysis discovered the following:
- Those who did not use seat belts were 14 percent more likely to be transported by EMS.
- Those who did not use seat belts were 5.4 times more likely to die than those who did.
- Those who did not use seat belts were 91 percent more likely to be admitted to the hospital than those who did.
As you can see, not wearing a seat belt can hurt your trucking insurance premiums.
Myth #1: Seat Belts Are Not Necessary for Short Drives
A road mishap can occur at any time. Your seat belt will hold you in your seat and aid you to avoid injury or death if you are flung from your seat into the steering wheel, windshield, or even out of the car.
Wearing your seat belt properly is a good way to provide you with added protection if you make a sudden stop or get involved in an accident.
Myth #2: Seat Belts Are Not for Passengers
60 percent of all passengers killed in road accidents were not wearing a seat belt, according to 2001 NHTSA data.
Myth #3: Seat Belts Do Not Help in Vehicular Accidents
In the event of a crash, many individuals believe it is safer to be flung out of the vehicle. The statistics prove otherwise, however. When a person is projected from a car, they are four times more likely to die.
During an accident in 2016, more than two hundred truck occupants and drivers were catapulted from their cabs and killed. If you wear a seat belt, you can avoid being dragged along the ground, squashed under a vehicle, or flung through a windshield.
Myth #4: Skilled Drivers Do Not Need to Wear Seat Belts
You may be a great driver, but that is not the case for everyone else on the road. In addition, you could be involved in an accident due to aspects beyond your control, such as adverse weather, technical failure, or a tire blowout.
Conclusion
Instill in your employees that wearing a seat belt is a must, not an option. If you want to keep them safe and save money on insurance, making this a part of their driving practice is something you should focus on.
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