Members of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), are driving down the number of deaths on our highways resulting from poor driving behaviors of car, truck, and bus drivers through its Operation Safe Driver campaign, according to CVSA information.
The week-long campaign conducted in October included 4,321 law enforcement personnel at 1,332 localities in 31 states and several Canadian provinces. "We know there are a small portion of high-risk drivers causing most of the crashes related to large trucks and buses," said CVSA Executive Director Stephen F Campbell. "Operation Safe Driver focuses our enforcement resources on these high-risk operators, while at the same time offering educational tools to the motoring public at large on how to drive more safely around trucks and buses."
According to crash data analyzed by FMCSA, 88 percent of crashes involving large trucks cite driver behaviors--whether it was the car, truck or bus--were cited as a factor in the crash. The Operation Safe Driver campaign was created last year to address this problem and take aggressive enforcement action on car, bus and truck drivers to prevent deaths.
"During this holiday season, with additional travelers on the highways and roads, it is critical that every driver be constantly focused on safety," said FMCSA Administrator John H Hill. "Car drivers should always avoid the blind spots of large trucks and buses. They should also be given plenty of room to maneuver and to stop--particularly during wintry driving conditions. Truck and bus drivers need to be mindful of their vehicle size and they need to strictly comply with all federal safety regulations, including hours-of-service rules. Safety is dependent on every driver fulfilling their responsibilities," said Hill.
Many educational and awareness events by government and industry were conducted in conjunction at different driver activities/events and population types. Activities included three international media events across the US, driver outreach events, No-Zone and Share the Road programs, distributing educational brochures, and producing a podcast for CVSA's In the Safety Lane. In addition, a number of states conducted their TACT (Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks) operation during the week.