Operation Safe Driver Week set for July 10-16

Greenbelt, MD — Law enforcement officials will keep an extra-close eye out for commercial and passenger vehicle drivers who are distracted behind the wheel during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Operation Safe Driver Week, scheduled for July 10-16.

They’ll also be targeting speeding, following too closely, making improper lane changes, failing to use a seat belt and driving while impaired.

CVSA cites National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data showing that fatal traffic incidents increased 6.8% in 2020, while fatalities related to speeding climbed 17%. According to NHTSA, nearly 39,000 deaths occurred on the nation’s roads – the highest total since 2007.

During last year’s Operation Safe Driver Week, citations and warnings related to speeding were most common among both groups of drivers. CMV drivers were assessed 1,690 citations and 2,549 warnings, while 9,349 citations and 2,929 warnings were issued to passenger vehicle drivers.

“This safe driving initiative and campaign focuses specifically on drivers’ actions – whether it’s something a driver did, like speeding, or something they didn’t do, such as not paying attention to the driving task,” CVSA President John Broers said in a press release. “This focus on drivers’ behaviors is our effort to identify and educate drivers who are operating dangerously on our roadways, with the goal of preventing crashes.”