Operation Safety Week 2020 is July 12-18, 2020.
The event is run by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), a joint-run governmental agency that operates between the US, Mexico, and Canada.
Ahead of their annual event, the CVSA has provided some details as to what’s expected. Law enforcement personnel will be on the lookout for commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in dangerous driver behaviors, such as speeding, distracted driving, failure to use a seatbelt, following too closely, reckless driving, drunk or drugged driving, etc.
Drivers engaging in such driving behaviors will be pulled over by law enforcement and may be issued a warning or citation.
The CVSA cites some glaring numbers to back their cause.
- In 2018, 9,378 people died in speed-related crashes. That’s 25% of all roadway fatalities that year, per the NHTSA.
- National data shows that even a 10-MPH speed increase ups the risk of a crash by 9.1%, according to Fortune Magazine.
- Speeding continues to be the number one cited driver-related factor in highway fatal crashes, as stated in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
The Operation Safe Driver Week is part of a program that’s much greater. Operation Safe Driver is a CVSA program aimed at reducing deaths and injuries involving large trucks, buses, and cars due to unsafe driver behaviors. The Alliance intends to accomplish this goal by educating all drivers about ways to share the roads safely.
The Operation Safe Driver program has two main campaigns to educate drivers.
- Teens and Trucks – Our Teens and Trucks program aims to educate youth drivers about how to drive safely around a large truck or bus.
- Defeat Distracted Driving – Defeat Distracted Driving is our campaign aimed at educating commercial vehicle drivers about the dangers of distracted driving and ways to avoid becoming distracted while on our roadways.