Government to truckers: Buckle up!

ATLANTA – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is trying to get more big-rig drivers to buckle up.

The CDC released a report today which found that more than one-third of truck drivers who die in vehicle crashes are not wearing a seat belt.

Despite that disturbing statistic, the CDC, citing studies by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and its own survey, says about one in six truckers doesn't wear a seat belt.

"It doesn't matter whether you're talking about fatalities or injuries, wearing a seat belt is the most effective way to prevent getting injured if you're in a crash, or dying if you're in a crash," says Stephanie Pratt, coordinator of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Center for Motor Vehicle Safety at CDC.

The number of truck drivers and their passengers killed in crashes increased between 2009-2012; some 700 drivers of large trucks and their passengers died in crashes in 2012, and another 26,000 were injured, CDC says.