Vital Signs: Seat Belt Use Among Long-Haul Truck Drivers — United States, 2010

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Seat Belt Use Among Long-Haul Truck Drivers — United States, 2010
• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Chen, Guang X. ; Collins, James W. ; Sieber, W. Karl ; Pratt, Stephanie G. ; Rodríguez-Acosta, Rosa L. ; Lincoln, Jennifer E. ; Birdsey, Jan ; Hitchcock, Edward M. ; Robinson, Cynthia F.
• Description:
  Background ; Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of occupational fatalities in the United States in 2012, accounting for 25% of deaths. Truck drivers accounted for 46% of these deaths. This study estimates the prevalence of seat belt use and identifies factors associated with nonuse of seat belts among long-haul truck drivers (LHTDs), a group of workers at high risk for fatalities resulting from truck crashes. ; Methods ; CDC analyzed data from its 2010 national survey of LHTD health and injury. A total of 1,265 drivers completed the survey interview. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between seat belt nonuse and risk factors. ; Results ; An estimated 86.1% of LHTDs reported often using a seat belt, 7.8% used it sometimes, and 6.0% never. Reporting never using a belt was associated with often driving ≥10 mph (16 kph) over the speed limit (adjusted odds ratio AOR = 2.9), working for a company with no written safety program (AOR = 2.8), receiving two or more tickets for moving violations in the preceding 12 months (AOR = 2.2), living in a state without a primary belt law (AOR = 2.1); and being female (AOR = 2.3). ; Conclusions ; Approximately 14% of LHTDs are at increased risk for injury and death because they do not use a seat belt on every trip. Safety programs and other management interventions, engineering changes, and design changes might increase seat belt use among LHTDs. ; Implications for Public Health ; Primary state belt laws can help increase belt use among LHTDs. Manufacturers can use recently collected anthropometric data to design better-fitting and more comfortable seat belt systems.
• Subjects:
  • Accidents, Occupational
  • Accidents, Traffic
  • Automobile Driving
  • Equipment Design
  • Fatigue
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  More +
• Source:
  MMWR Morbidity Mortal Weekly Rep. 2015; 64(8):217-221.
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Pubmed ID:
  25742382
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4584718
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Corporate as Subject:
  Vital Signs
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Pages in Document:
  5 pdf pages
• Volume:
  64
• Issue:
  8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/55022/cdc_55022_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 265.19 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:654ab091ea671a00339d025484c94176ecaf39b23f59c4c15f8702aa245224d8247cf8d5e1150fe957b37d4691b3b9daeb9df97504ea1a9397aa4a8aea7b7ed1