Close to one in four Americans don’t believe that commercial truck drivers are responsible behind the wheel, according to a poll conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Zonar.

Still, the Zonar 2021 Road Safety Consumer Sentiment Report shows that 65% of 1,800 surveyed Americans feel safe when sharing the highway with trucks.

“While truckers follow many safe driving guidelines, regulations and compliance rules, perceptions is what matters to ensure drivers are safer – and feel safer,” Zonar said in a related statement, stressing the value of partnerships such as the American Trucking Associations’ Law Enforcement Advisory Board to educate fleets and the public on safety programs.

The good news is that 73% of the surveyed American drivers strongly agree, or at least agree, that the trucking industry does everything it can to stay safe on the road. And 68% agree that commercial trucks are some of the most technologically advanced vehicles on the road.

Zonar cited the emerging Canadian mandate for electronic logging devices (ELDs) as one of the initiatives that will help create a safer work environment.

“Despite misconceptions, the trucking industry is never trying to avoid road laws, drivers know their vehicle size and have been known to drive more cautiously than passenger cars on the highway. Much of the advancement to commercial trucking when it comes to public safety speaks directly to protecting the highways for all drivers in addition to ensuring the safety and compliance of every American fleet supporting the trucking industry’s day-to-day operations,” the survey concluded.

“If the average driver truly knew about all that goes into fleet management technology and commercial trucking safety and compliance, we believe everyone would feel safer on the roadway.

The online survey was conducted from May 24-26.