Be advised: Next week, Oct. 16 to 22, is Operation Safe Driver Week.
This is a program, sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), wherein law enforcement agencies throughout North America will engage in heightened traffic safety enforcement and education aimed at combating unsafe driving behaviors by both commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and other drivers.
As you might expect, unsafe driver behaviors by drivers is the leading cause of crashes.
Operation Safe Driver program was created to help to reduce the number of crashes, deaths and injuries involving large trucks, buses and cars due to unsafe driving behaviors. These include speeding, failure to use a seatbelt while operating a motor vehicle, distracted driving, failure to obey traffic control devices, traveling too closely and improper lane change, etc.
The program, launched by CVSA in 2007, is done in partnership with FMCSA and with support from industry and transportation safety organizations.
Last year
In the 2015 Operation Safe Driver Week, law enforcement officers pulled over 21,012 CMV drivers and passenger vehicle drivers. Additionally, 19,480 North American Standard Roadside Inspections were conducted by CVSA-certified inspectors on commercial drivers and vehicles.
The top five warnings and citations issued to CMV drivers were:
1. Size and weight.
2. Speeding.
3. Failure to use a seatbelt while operating a CMV.
4. Failure to obey traffic control device.
5. Using a handheld phone.
The top five warnings and citations issued to passenger vehicle drivers were:
1. Speeding.
2. Failure to use a seatbelt.
3. Failure to obey traffic control device.
4. Following too closely.
5. Improper lane change
Consider yourself warned.