On Monday, the Flemish Road Safety Foundation (Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde, VSV) and the federal road police launched a campaign in Gentbrugge to increase seat belt use among truck drivers.

Not an unnecessary campaign, it turns out, because one in nine truck drivers seldom buckles up. The campaign’s slogan in Dutch is “Een echte draagt ‘m” or “A real trucker buckles up”.

But what does the law say? According to the Belgian Highway Code, everyone in a vehicle must wear a seat belt in seats where one is available. This also applies to trucks. So, not wearing a seat belt is not legal unless you have a medical or other official exemption.

Hard-nosed truckers

In Belgium, car drivers generally comply with the mandatory seat belt law: 95% always wear their front seat belts, and 86% wear their rear seat belts. However, truck drivers are much more nonchalant… or hard-nosed: 78% say they always wear their seat belts, but 12% say they never do, significantly increasing the chance of dying in an accident.

VSV emphasizes the importance of wearing a seat belt. For truck drivers who wear seatbelts, the risk of death in an accident decreases by an average of 84%. The risk of serious injury is reduced by 51%. “The seat belt is an absolute life-saver in the car, but also in the truck,” says Werner De Dobbeleer, spokesperson for VSV.

116-euro fine

But checking whether a truck driver is wearing a seatbelt isn’t easy. Trucks are high, and curtains often hang in the cab, obstructing visibility. To catch truck drivers red-handed, traffic police are deploying an unmarked truck.

Officers will drive this truck alongside another truck, thus sitting at the same height as the truck drivers. This is necessary to ensure a clear view of the driver’s cab. Today, around 24 truck drivers a day across Belgium are caught not wearing a seatbelt. The fine is 116 euros.

Dramatic drop in road fatalities

The first three-point seat belt was invented in 1959 by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin and has been standard in the front seats of passenger cars since the 1960s. However, wearing a seat belt was still optional at that time. It only became mandatory in 1975 in Belgium. The rear seat belt became compulsory from 1991, but only on seats equipped with belts.

Since the introduction of mandatory seat belts, we’ve seen a dramatic drop in road fatalities. Overall, road fatalities in Belgium have fallen by more than 70% since the 1970s, with seat belts among the most significant contributing factors.

Airbags were added later. They were designed to work in conjunction with seatbelts. Without a seatbelt, airbags are much less effective, and the airbag can even cause additional injuries. That’s why airbags and other security devices are called SRS or supplemental restraint systems. The seatbelt is the key safety factor.