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 Motor Vehicles Population Surveillance Prevalence Risk Factors Seat Belts Sex Distribution Sleep Stages Survival Rate Work Schedule Tolerance

  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
• Name as Subject:
  Vital Signs
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Pages in Document:
  5 pdf pages
• Volume:
  64
• Issue:
  8
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:654ab091ea671a00339d025484c94176ecaf39b23f59c4c15f8702aa245224d8247cf8d5e1150fe957b37d4691b3b9daeb9df97504ea1a9397aa4a8aea7b7ed1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/55022/cdc_55022_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 265.19 KB ]