The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced the dates for their annual Operation Safe Driver Week. Learn when this program will take place and what officers are going to be looking for to make sure you’re prepared!
Operation Safe Driver Week
Operation Safe Driver Week will take place from July 15-21, 2018. In partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and other associations, the CVSA will work to identify unsafe driving of both commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) and passenger vehicles across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Additionally, officers will focus on educating drivers and building awareness of safe driving practices.
According to the FMCSA, unsafe driving behavior is the leading cause of accidents among drivers, accounting for 88% of large truck and 93% of passenger vehicle crashes. Examples of behavior that they will be targeting during this week include:
- Failure to use seat belts
- Failure to obey traffic controls
- Speeding
- Following too closely
- Improper lane changes
- Distracted driving
Results from Operation Safe Driver 2017
In 2017, 59,193 warnings and citations were issued to CMV drivers and passenger vehicle drivers during Operation Safe Driver. A total of 38,878 of those were issued to CMV driver – 30,714 were warnings and 8,164 were citations.
Here’s a breakdown of the top five warnings/citations issued to CMV drivers:
- State/local moving violations (84.2%)
- Speeding (7.4%)
- Failure to use seat belt (2.6%)
- Failure to obey traffic control device (2.5%)
- Using a handheld phone (.08%)
Other result highlights:
- Distracted driving accounted for .09% of violations for CMV drivers with .01% for texting and 0.8% for using a handheld phone
- Failure to wear a seat belt was the third most cited violation for CMVs
- 0.6% of violations were for following too closely
- 16 CMV drivers were warned/cited for using/equipping their vehicle with a radar detector
- 0.2% of warnings/citations were for careless driving
- 19 CMV drivers were cited for operating their vehicle while ill or fatigued with an additional 86 receiving a warning
How to Prepare for This Year
We’re a few months away from Operation Safe Driver 2018 – giving you lots of time to ensure you’re prepared! Here are a few things that you can do now:
- Review your safety policy, practices, and procedures
- Ensure that you have all the required materials in your vehicle
- Understand cell phone and mobile device usage policies for your fleet and for the states/provinces that you operate in
- Practice safe driving including wearing your seat belt, following at a safe distance, driving within the speed limit, obeying traffic enforcement
- Do not drive your vehicle while fatigued – make sure to take breaks to ensure you’re well rested and alert at the wheel
How BigRoad Can Help?
BigRoad makes hours-of-service (HOS) compliance easy with our BigRoad Mobile App and DashLink ELD. Ensure that you’re driving within your hours, are taking required breaks, and run without common violations. Sign-up for a demo now and see our solution in action.
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