WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on Wednesday announced it is proposing a regulation requiring passengers riding in commercial trucks to use safety belts. 

U.S. rules have long required all commercial drivers to use safety belts and most trucks have been equipped with safety belts for both drivers and passengers since the 1970s.

This proposed rule would hold both trucking companies and commercial truck drivers responsible for ensuring that any passenger riding in the truck cab are 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 U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  

FMCSA says the cost of the plan would be the value of the person’s time necessary to buckle the safety belt, which it says is negligible.