Speeding Is Top Violation During CVSA Operation Safe Driver Week
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Law enforcement officers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico stopped 46,058 passenger and commercial motor vehicle drivers engaging in dangerous driving behaviors during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Operation Safe Driver Week safety initiative.
Officers pulled over 28,148 commercial motor vehicles and 17,910 passenger vehicles July 11-17, issuing 10,486 warnings and 16,863 citations.
The top number of citations issued in this year’s operation were for speeding, the focus for the weeklong heightened law enforcement presence, according to an Oct. 7 CVSA announcement.
Speeding, which was the focus of this year’s #OperationSafeDriverWeek, was the top driver-behavior violation. Officers issued 11,039 citations and 5,478 warnings for speeding/basic speed law/driving too fast for conditions. Read the full results: https://t.co/WRDnVuhxIG pic.twitter.com/SUa8v1q8Am — CVSA (@CVSA) October 8, 2021
There were 9,349 citations and 2,929 warnings given for speed-related offenses to passenger vehicle drivers, and 1,690 speed-related citations and 2,549 warnings to commercial motor vehicle drivers.
The top five citations issued to commercial motor vehicle drivers included speeding (1,690); failure to wear a seat belt (1,225); failure to obey a traffic control device (522); texting with a handheld phone (344) and improper lane change (112).
The top five citations for passenger vehicle drivers were for speeding (9,349); failure to wear a seat belt (1,355); distracted driving using a handheld phone (573); possession/use/under influence of alcohol or drugs (428) and failure to obey a traffic control device (336).
“Since we know that most crashes are caused by drivers, the best way to prevent crashes is to start with the cause — drivers,” said CVSA President Capt. John Broers with South Dakota Highway Patrol.
In the first quarter of 2021, traffic fatalities increased 10.5%. When you’re behind the wheel, watch your speed, and never drive distracted. pic.twitter.com/EreZlOi1BX — nhtsagov (@NHTSAgov) October 7, 2021
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also participated in this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week event. The agency ran an investigative event, parallel to the Operation Safe Driver roadside activities, targeting motor carriers with a history of crashes and unsafe driving behavior, CVSA said.
FMCSA’s investigative event ran from June 7 to July 16, with participation from all its divisions. The agency prioritized moderate-risk and high-risk carriers for remote on-site and off-site investigations.
During the operation, FMCSA field staff completed 90 high-risk and 201 moderate-risk carrier investigations, resulting in 64 conditional ratings and 30 unsatisfactory ratings.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 94% of car crashes are caused by drivers. And when a passenger vehicle collides with a large commercial motor vehicle, the result can be catastrophic. The majority of deaths in large-truck crashes are occupants of the passenger vehicle (71%), followed by the truck’s occupants (18%).
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