Operation Safe Driver Week is a program organized by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to highlight the importance of truck drivers as well as passenger car operators following the rules of the road. From July 14 through 20, police gave out nearly 47,000 tickets as part of the week of action. Most of the citations were related to speeding. In addition to the 46,752 traffic tickets, drivers received 87,624 warnings for different types of traffic violations, including failing to wear a seat belt or minor maintenance issues that were not severe enough to pull a vehicle off the road.
According to the safety alliance, 94% of motor vehicle accidents, including trucking accidents, involve fault on the part of at least one driver. Crashes involving buses and large trucks can be especially dangerous to everyone on the road. People in smaller passenger vehicles are far more likely to suffer catastrophic injuries or even lose their lives as a result of an accident. Nevertheless, truck accident deaths have been on the rise. This event is intended to stop dangerous driving behaviors that can lead to serious collisions. Since 2008, around 25% of crashes have involved excessive speed of one kind or another, leading police to focus on speed as part of the 2019 enforcement initiatives.
Most of the citations that the truck drivers received involved speeding or failure to wear a seat belt, but some were even more concerning. Nearly 250 commercial drivers were cited for texting while driving. Another 25 were cited for driving while sick or ill. Truck driver fatigue also can be a primary contributor to serious crashes.
Dangerous or negligent driving poses a serious danger, especially when a massive semi-truck is involved. People injured in a trucking crash due to someone else’s negligence can consult with a personal injury lawyer about his or her options for pursuing compensation.