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Dec 28, 2007 5:51 AM

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has launched the Saved by the Belt award program to recognize commercial motor vehicle drivers who have buckled up and whose lives were saved or injuries significantly reduced as a result of wearing a safety belt.

According to CVSA information, anyone interested in nominating a person must submit a completed nomination form and a brief narrative of the crash, along with the accident or incident report and other supporting documents, and indicate why the nominee should be considered for the award. More information on the award is online at cvsa.org.

CVSA pointed out that in 2006, 703 drivers of large trucks died in truck crashes. Of those, 314 were not wearing safety belts. Of the 188 large truck drivers killed who were ejected from their vehicles, almost 80 percent were not wearing safety belts.

The seat belt award program is sponsored in part by YRC Worldwide Inc. CVSA supports and is an active participant in the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership established by the Department of Transportation to combat low safety belt use among the nation's commercial vehicle drivers.