Use telematics to ensure lorry drivers wear seat belts, says TrackCompare

COLCHESTER, U.K. - June 1, 2013 - PRLog -- Thirty years ago seat belts were made compulsory. Last month, police found as many as 157 out of 243 lorry drivers who had committed offences (65%) were not wearing one.

Kjell Anderton, director of TrackCompare, said: “It’s almost unbelievable, especially as telematics systems are now widely available to monitor seat-belt wearing and other driver behaviour.

“We urge fleet operators to make maximum use of this modern technology, not only for the benefit of commercial drivers but for the safety of road users as a whole.

“There’s no excuse. Many telematics systems are available for relatively little outlay and can monitor whether seat belts are being used. After all these years the benefits of wearing seat belts are widely known.”

The six-day police operation targeting lorry drivers across Derbyshire and the Midlands covered large sections of the Midlands motorway and trunk road network, including the M1, M6, A14 and A1.

The operation was designed to tackle lorry drivers committing one or more of four factors that contribute to road collisions – speeding, using a mobile phone while driving, not wearing a sea tbelt and drink-driving.

Police used an unmarked HGV to covertly film drivers committing one or more of the offences.

A total of 243 offences were committed, including 157 drivers not wearing a seat belt and 42 using a mobile phone. There was one speeding offence. Other offences included vehicles being over their weight limit and drivers not being in proper control of their vehicles.

Figures issued by the Institute of Advanced Motorists confirm the results. In January, the IAM said despite three decades of legislation, 5% of drivers were still not wearing a seat belt.