If you’re wondering just how safe are roads are in this country, the results of the recent Operation Safe Driver Week roadside inspections are telling.
The details released earlier this month by the Commercial Vehicle Alliance reveal the results of more than 21,000 inspections performed Oct. 18-24 in North America.
Operation Safe Driver Week targets unsafe driving by commercial vehicle drivers and car drivers. It involves heightened traffic safety enforcement by law enforcement agencies, roadside inspections and educational outreach events.
We take safety seriously here at Paramount Freight Systems, one of the premiere owner-operator transportation companies in America. We encourage our Owner Operators and Lease Purchasers to always put safety first. That’s why we posted an article about Operation Safe Driver Week in October and are now doing this follow up article.
The top five infractions against commercial truck drivers were:
- Citations and warnings for size and weight
- Excessive speeding
- Failure to wear seatbelts during while operating a commercial vehicle
- Failure to obey traffic control devices
- Use of handheld cell phones
According to the results, there were roadside inspections of approximately 14,000 trucks during safety week. Officials issued more than 1,200 tickets and approximately 500 warnings for weight and size violations. Another 400 tickets and 900 warnings were issued for speeding, while nearly 600 tickets and 110 warnings were issued for seatbelt violations. In total, truck drivers received some 4,000 tickets and nearly 4,000 warnings during this safety blitz.
If that seems like a lot, it’s because it is. In fact, the number of citation and warnings issued in 2015 were up from the previous year in almost every category. Speeding violations were from up from 5.8 percent in 2014 to 9.3 percent in 2015, while seat belt violations were up from 2.8 percent to 5 percent. Violations for failing to obey traffic control devices increased from 2.5 percent to 3.9 percent.
“Unsafe driving behaviors can result in lives lost,” said CVSA President Maj. Jay Thompson, who is with Arkansas Highway Police. “That’s what Operation Safe Driver Week aims to combat through driver enforcement and education. Our mission is to make our roadways as safe as possible. We will continue to work toward that goal by ensuring drivers are operating safely in and around large trucks and buses.”
What do you think about these results from Operation Safe Driver Week? Comment below. And if you’re looking to join an all Owner Operators and Lease Purchasers fleet like Paramount Freight Systems, contact us today.
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