Speeding Tops Offenses During Operation Safe Driver Week

Nearly 16,000 truckers were pulled over for speeding during Operation Safe Driver Week, according to recently released data.

“Speeding, which was the focus of this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week, was the top violation — in warnings given and citations issued — for both types of drivers. Officers issued 8,586 citations and 7,299 warnings for speeding/violating basic speed law/driving too fast for conditions. Broken out, that amounts to 2,577 warnings to commercial motor vehicle drivers and 4,722 to passenger vehicle drivers. Citations were given to 1,490 commercial motor vehicle drivers and 7,096 passenger vehicle drivers,” according to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)

Operation Safe Driver Week is a program organized by the CVSA and carried out by law enforcement in the U.S. and Canada. The 2022 event was held July 10-16 and more than 35,000 truckers and passenger vehicles were stopped based on observations they were not practicing safe driving. The commercial-to-passenger vehicle ratio was reportedly 25,247 to 9,950, respectively.

Of the 35,000 roadside stops, 26,164 warnings were issued with excessive speed leading all infraction categories. The vast majority were issued in the U.S., with Canadian law enforcement reportedly stopping only 313 commercial motor vehicles, resulting in 276 citations and 112 warnings. These are the Top 5 types of commercial motor vehicle warnings and citations.

1. Speeding or Driving Too Fast for Conditions: 2,577 warnings and 1,490 citations
2. Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device: 944 warnings and 735 citations
3. Failure to Use Seat Belt: 678 warnings and 505 citations
4. Using a Hand-Held Phone, Texting, Distracted Driving: 215 warnings and 239 citations
5. Improper Lane Change: 175 warnings and 84 citations

Recent narratives may have played a role in the CVSA focusing on speeding. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicated that excessive speed played a part in over 25 percent of motor vehicle crash fatalities, with more than 100,000 losing their lives over the last 10 years. The American Transportation Research Institute updated its “Predicting Truck Crash Involvement” report, noting that truckers who incur speeding violations are 47 percent more likely to be involved in a collision.

Although Mexico did not necessarily conduct roadside stops in conjunction with Operation Safe Driver Week, the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation reportedly interacted with drivers by disseminating 14,316 flyers with information about the dangers of speeding. The flyers were handed out at passenger terminals, toll booths, and verification centers. The next Operation Safe Driver Week is scheduled for July 9-15, 2023.

Sources: cvsa.org, trucknews.com