Drivers who already have commercial truck insurance sometimes overlook the most important insurance policy of all: wearing their seat belts. Seat belts cost nothing to use but can save drivers from hospital and medical bills, lost income, lost careers, and even lost lives.
Most truck drivers who don’t wear seat belts state discomfort as their primary reason. They often have additional arguments for not wearing seat belts which include:
- Their large rig will protect them in an accident. Even in an accident with a smaller vehicle, the jarring can cause the driver’s head to strike the steering wheel or the windshield. Hitting a smaller vehicle may cause the truck to go off the road. Once this happens, the rig can do a rollover resulting in severe injuries for the unbelted driver. Sometimes accidents involve other large trucks, which mean there is no size advantage.
- Expert commercial truck drivers don’t need seat belts. This only means the driver isn’t likely to cause an accident. However, bad drivers on the road can get into an accident with the truck. Defensive driving only gets you so far. Good driving skills doesn’t mean the trucker can control the weather. Sometimes weather forecasts are wrong and the driver may be faced with road ice or a blizzard.
- Seat belt use is no one’s business but the trucker’s. Seat belt use is the business of the driver’s family whose well-being depends on his income and health. Children shouldn’t have to grow up without a father. It’s also the business of the trucker’s employer who may have to make disability payments, pay overtime to other drivers to cover the work of the injured trucker, or spend time and money looking for and training a temporary driver. Seat belt use is the law for commercial truck drivers.
Getting back to the discomfort issue for not wearing a seat belt, it can be said that many drivers don’t know how to adjust their seat belts for a comfortable fit. The commercial truck company should train all of their drivers on the proper adjustment of seat belts for safety and comfort. If the problem is with the seat belt, the company should consider refitting their fleet with more ergonomic seat belts.
Get the proper coverage with the right insurance carrier. If you are looking for commercial truck insurance in South Carolina with affordable rates, contact us at J.E.B. Insurance Services, LLC.
