Operation Safe Driver
Speeding and aggressive driving behaviors significantly influence the approximately 43,000 people who die on U.S. highways each year — 5,000 involved in large trucks. To curb the number of deadly crashes, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), recently launched a new campaign called Operation Safe Driver. It's principal objective is to target and take action on problem drivers — both those who drive commercial vehicles and those who driver passenger vehicles.
"The statistics tell the tale — nearly nine out of 10 crashes between cars and trucks are attributed to the driver, with 56 percent of those attributed to the passenger car driver," FMCSA Administrator John Hill said. "Programs like Operation Safe Driver will help all drivers realize how their decisions behind the wheel affect safety."
Operation Safe Driver targets problem commercial and non-commercial driver behavior and performance across North America, involving nearly 3,700 law enforcement personnel and more than 1,500 localities in 31 states and five provinces, through a combination of enforcement, education and awareness strategies.
During the week of Oct. 21-28, 2007, Operation Safe Driver resulted in:
- 20,523 CMV Driver/Credential Inspections, 2,090 (10.2 percent) of which resulted in the driver being placed out of service
- 16,636 CMV Driver Traffic Enforcement Contacts, which resulted in 4,229 moving violations
- 6,698 Non-CMV Driver Traffic Enforcement Contacts, which resulted in 4,860 moving violations
- 22,181 CMV Driver License checks and 6,205 Non-CMV Driver License checks.