From July 14 to 20, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance will have law enforcement officials across Pennsylvania and the rest of the U.S. looking out for unsafe drivers. This period of increased enforcement is called Operation Safe Driver Week, and it is an annual event. Both passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle drivers are liable to be stopped and issued a warning or citation.
Police will be looking for negligent behavior like seat belt neglect, improper lane changes, calling and texting behind the wheel, and ignoring traffic control devices. They will also check for signs of drug- and alcohol-impaired driving. Above all, though, they will be stopping speeders.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is clear about the danger of speeding: it contributed to 94% of traffic crashes in 2015 and 26% of traffic deaths in 2017. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in its 2016 Large Truck and Bus Facts report, called speeding the top driver-related crash factor. This applied to both CMV and passenger vehicle drivers.
In 2018, the event led to 113,331 drivers across North America being stopped. Police issued 57,405 citations and 87,907 warnings, 18,817 of them speeding-related (16,909 of those speeding citations were given to passenger vehicle drivers). Additionally, 731 were cited for driving too fast for certain road conditions.
Speeding crashes often lead to catastrophic injuries. Victims may not only have to contend with medical expenses but also lose their job and be left with a diminished capacity to earn a living. They might want to have legal assistance in seeking compensation for these losses.
