Personal Injury Blog

Improved Design Standards Mean Safety for Truck Drivers

November 16th, 2011
Safety for Truck Drivers
There are more numbers of female drivers now.  Truck cab design standards however, have remained the same

New truck cab design standards that are currently being used by manufacturers could mean not just a more comfortable ride for a truck driver, but also safety for truck drivers.  The National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health has researched driver body types in order to help design a safer truck cab design.

Truck drivers spend long and endless hours on a highway, working an average of 41.5 hours per week.  A comfortable truck cab therefore, means not only a more comfortable drive for the trucker, but also more protection in the event of an accident.  Unfortunately, Los Angeles truck accident lawyers see that many truck cabs are designed for a truck driver workforce that existed back in the 1980s.  The truck driver population has changed substantially in the past three decades.  More ethnic drivers with different body types have joined the work force.  Moreover, there are more numbers of female drivers now.  Truck cab design standards however, have remained the same.

The National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health has analyzed truck driver body types.  The agency took surveys of the current truck driver workforce, including nearly 2,000 truck drivers nationwide.  These drivers’ height, weight and other important measurements were taken, and these were compared with truck driver measurements from the 80s.  The researchers were not surprised to find that there are significant differences in truck driver body type now, compared to thirty years ago.

The data has been shared with truck manufacturers and other interested groups.  At least four manufacturers have already begun using the data to design a safer and more comfortable truck cab.  These safety improvements include seatbelts that are not only better fitting, but also more comfortable.  According to one survey, seatbelt usage is very low among truck drivers, in spite of the fact that seatbelt usage has been proven to be a major factor in preventing fatalities in accidents.  About 60% of truck drivers say that they prefer not to wear seat belts because these do not fit well.  That problem should be solved with better fitting and more comfortable seat belts.

The safety improvements in the new design standards also include increased visibility.  Approximately 36% of all truck accidents occur in the driver’s blind spots, eliminating thousands of such accidents per year.  Additionally, when the cab is designed to fit the size and requirements of the truck driver, the driver finds it easier to reach driving controls and may find the highway more visible.  This substantially reduces the risk of being involved in an accident.

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