News Digest DOT 123-15

FMCSA Proposed Rule Would Close Safety Gap by Requiring All Large Commercial Truck Passengers to Use Safety Belts.  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that it is seeking public comment on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) requiring passengers riding in property-carrying commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) to use safety belts.  Federal rules have long required all commercial drivers to use safety belts (49 CFR 392.16); this proposed rule would hold both trucking companies and commercial truck drivers responsible for ensuring that any passenger riding in the truck cab is also buckled up.  Approximately 275 occupants of large trucks killed in crashes in 2013 were not wearing their safety belts, according to the most recently available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  For a copy of the Federal Register announcement, see: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/12/10/2015-30864/commercial-drivers-license-standards-use-of-seat-belts.  Contact:  Duane DeBruyne:  (202) 366-9999.

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