Report states safety belts could reduce truck accidents by 40%

A recent study by the CEESAR research institute showed that the number of fatalities and injuries in traffic accidents in Europe would decrease by 40% if everyone drove with safety belts. Between 2001 and 2008, 375,000 people died on Europe’s roads. A key reason for this high death rate is that many drivers still do not use safety belts, with truck drivers being a particularly high risk in road traffic.

Safety belt use among truck drivers ranges from 10 to 70% in European countries, with an average of 50% of drivers using the life-savers.

But what is the reason behind this lack of use of the belt? This is a question Volvo Trucks’ Traffic and Product Safety Director, Carl-Johan Almqvist, has long grappled with, stating: “Many drivers live under the impression that it is much safer to drive a big truck than a small passenger car. However, it is the unbelted truck drivers whose vehicles often smash and roll over, resulting in severe driver injuries.

“We humans simply have no speed sensors. We can read the speed on a gauge, but we have no means of registering speed within our own bodies. This contrasts with our feeling for height. You would never jump from a height of 4 m and just hope for the best. Yet in terms of trauma to the human body, this resembles a head-on collision at 30 km/h without a safety belt. We understand height, but not speed.”

In general, however, safety belt usage has increased. This is confirmed by the ETSC, an independent traffic safety organisation in Brussels.

“This is the case in countries that have introduced penalty systems for people who drive without safety belts,” explains Vojtech Eksler, analyst at ETSC. “For example in France - the country that has seen the highest increase in safety belt use - drivers have a set number of points deducted for various offences and if the number of points drops to zero, they lose their driving licence and have to re-take their test in order to get a new licence. Driving without a safety belt costs drivers three points. People are more afraid of losing their driving licence than of paying a fine.”

In France, safety belt use has, for several years, been above 70%. In the US, 72% of drivers use safety belts. In states with stricter laws, the figure is 80%.

“Technical considerations are also important,” continues Eksler. “In vehicles fitted with safety belt reminders, both drivers and passengers use the belt far more often than in vehicles without this feature.”

Almqvist emphasises that car manufacturers must take responsibility and work more to spread information and increase drivers’ safety awareness: “We have fitted safety belt reminders for some years now and for the more forgetful driver we have our red belts, which, because they are so easily visible, also serve as a reminder to safety-conscious customers.

“The problem is, however, that the majority of automatic systems can be bypassed by people who wish to do so. Because driver safety is our top priority, we ensure that we emphasise the importance of safety belt usage to all our drivers and customers.”

Volvo Trucks has offered five-day driver training programs for several years in Europe, with a full day entirely dedicated to driving safely. During the course, different types of accidents are studied. Much of the training consists of making drivers aware of their own safety because the main problem is that it is easy for individuals to think that a serious accident would never happen to them.