WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has unveiled a public service announcement featuring former NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace, currently an analyst for ESPN and ABC Sports, who reminds truckers that they have a responsibility to drive safely and buckle up.

The campaign, “Be Buckled. Be Ready,” is aimed at increasing the number of truckers who regularly use a safety belt.

“This ad reminds truckers that, as professional drivers, they are responsible for handling their vehicles and themselves in the safest manner possible,” FMCSA Administrator John H. Hill said. “With just a little bit of his time, Mr. Wallace’s personal commitment to promoting public safety is helping save lives on America’s highways.”

While 81 percent of the general driving population wears a safety belt, only 59 percent of commercial vehicle drivers buckle up when they climb behind the wheel. In 2006, 45 percent of truckers killed in a crash were not wearing safety belts. FMCSA regulations require all commercial vehicle drivers to use proper restraints.

In the PSA, Wallace tells truck drivers that “(they’re) the ones who drive for a living,” and encourages them to wear a safety belt to keep them “in position, behind the wheel, in control, looking out for [themselves] and everybody else.”

The PSA can be seen at www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-security/safety-belt/rusty-wallace/rusty-wallace-main.htm (link below). For more information regarding FMCSA and the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Program, the public/private coalition tasked with increasing safety belt use among commercial motor vehicle drivers, visit www. fmcsa.dot.gov/safetybelt .