Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) enforcement personnel patrolled roadways during Operation Safe Driver Week, July 15-21, 2018, to identify CMV drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaged in unsafe driving behaviours. Officers issued 57,405 citations and 87,907 warnings to drivers throughout the week.
This safe driving enforcement and awareness campaign aims to call attention to driver behaviours, the main cause of crashes, and combat those behaviours through heightened traffic safety enforcement and educational outreach.
During Operation Safe Driver Week, 51,000 law enforcement officers across North America made contact with 113,331 CMV drivers and passenger vehicle drivers.
The top five citations issued to CMV drivers were:
- State/Local Laws – 6,008 citations
- Speeding – 1,908 citations
- Failing to use a seat belt while operating a CMV – 1,169 citations
- Failure to obey a traffic control device – 754 citations
- Using a handheld phone – 262 citations
Speeding was the second most cited infraction for both CMV drivers and passenger vehicle drivers. A total of 16,909 passenger vehicle drivers were issued citations for speeding, versus 1,908 citations to CMV drivers.
When it comes to distracted driving, 211 passenger vehicle driver citations during Operation Safe Driver Week were for texting; 20 texting citations were issued to CMV drivers. 127 passenger vehicle drivers and 262 CMV drivers were cited for using a handheld phone.
According to NHTSA, in 2016, 3,450 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. NHTSA also estimated that of the total number of roadway deaths, crashes and injuries, 660,000 drivers were using an electronic device while behind the wheel. Of the total number of fatal crashes, 10 percent involved the use of a phone. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each day in the United States, approximately nine people are killed and more than 1,000 injured in crashes reported to involve a distracted driver.