Together for Safer Roads (TSR) has launched a global initiative aimed at improving seat belt use among commercial vehicle drivers and passengers, with support from automotive safety supplier Autoliv and fleet operator UPS.

The multi-year Every Seat, Every Time campaign was unveiled during the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety. TSR said it aims to expand adoption of its Seat Belt Safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and reach 500 fleets across 10 countries by 2030.

Autoliv, the world’s largest automotive safety supplier, will serve as the initiative’s anchor partner, helping update TSR’s seat belt safety guide with technical expertise and operational data. UPS will become the first fleet to implement the program, sharing operational experience to help encourage broader adoption.

TSR also plans to introduce a Seat Belt Safety Scorecard, designed to help fleets assess and improve how seat belt policies are implemented across their operations. Both the updated SOP guide and scorecard will be made available free of charge.

The organization cited persistent gaps in commercial vehicle seat belt use despite high compliance among the general driving public. While seat belt use across all U.S. vehicles has reached 92%, TSR said about 14% of commercial drivers and 27% of commercial passengers still fail to buckle up. Seat belt violations were the fourth most common roadside infraction for commercial drivers in 2022, resulting in more than 53,000 citations.

Globally, seat belt use remains below 50% in several regions, while more than 90% of road traffic deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, according to TSR.

“Technology must be matched with behavior,” said Jordi Lombarte, senior technical advisor at Autoliv. “Through Every Seat, Every Time, we are combining our expertise with Together for Safer Roads’ work on policy and culture to drive impactful, large-scale change and help save more lives.”

Peter Goldwasser, executive director of Together for Safer Roads, said the partnership combines proven operating procedures with industry support to encourage broader adoption of seat belt best practices.

The initiative aligns with the United Nations’ Second Decade of Action for Road Safety, which seeks to reduce global road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030.