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CVSA to crack down on distracted driving Oct. 16-21

WASHINGTON — A killer is stalking North America’s roadways and is claiming 14 lives every day in the United States alone, says the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

“Aggressive and unsafe driving behaviors by truck and bus drivers, as well as the passenger car drivers operating unsafely around them, are primary factors in more deaths on our roadways than a 737 airplane crashing every other week,” the group stated in a recent news release.

The CVSA is calling on all drivers to make a difference, reduce aggressive and distracted driving and save lives across North America with its annual Operation Safe Driver campaign mobilization week Oct. 16-21.

“Each year more than 36,000 people die on the roadways throughout North America, about 4,000 of which are related to large trucks and buses,” Stephen A. Keppler, CVSA’s executive director, said.

“Many of these deaths are the direct result of unsafe and aggressive driving practices by both passenger and commercial vehicle drivers.”

During the week of October 16-22 law enforcement across North America will respond by actively targeting these drivers during “Operation Safe Driver,” a program sponsored by CVSA and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) as well as strategic partners including American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, American Trucking Associations, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association, FedEx Corp., Governors Highway Safety Association, National District Attorneys Association and United Motorcoach Association.

“We are asking all drivers to join us in providing solutions to this pandemic and to fight back against aggressive and unsafe driving practices, especially distracted driving,” Keppler said.

“We need the public’s help in putting a face on safety within our communities and spheres of influence.  As an individual, a company or association, there are many things you can do to make a difference. It starts with educating your own employees about the dangers of aggressive and unsafe driving. In addition, you can become an active supporter to stop these senseless deaths that occur daily and affect each and every one of us.”

Operation Safe Driver will take place across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Its aim is to increase activities related to commercial vehicle and non-commercial vehicle traffic enforcement; safety belt enforcement; driver roadside safety inspections; driver regulatory compliance; implementation of commercial driver educational and awareness programs to the motor carrier population; and, to raise awareness among the motoring public about safe operations around large trucks and buses.

Operation Safe Driver continues to build on a highly successful series of educational outreach programs geared to specific audiences and issues, Keppler said.

The Teens and Trucks Training Program was created and launched in collaboration with CVSA, Arizona Trucking Association, Arizona Department of Public Safety and American Trucking Associations in 2009-2010.

Together CVSA and its partners developed this program to help educate young drivers about safe driving practices around commercial vehicles that has been shown to hundreds of thousands of teens across the continent and continues to grow.

This year, the same partnership is releasing Defeating Distracted Driving, a new educational program for motor carriers about the dangers of distracted driving for use by fleets, driving schools and other outlets. The program is directed at commercial vehicle drivers and its goal is to raise awareness of the risks associated with texting, e-mailing, using portable electronic devices, and other distractions while driving and to reduce crashes attributable to distracted driving.

"This week's Operation Safe Driver campaign sends a strong message to all drivers to think safety.  In particular, it demonstrates just how serious we are about catching bus or truck drivers who are doing anything less and will make our roads safer and save lives by removing thousands of unsafe truck, bus and car drivers them from the road," FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro said.

"We will not rest until all drivers are thinking safety first, every trip, every time. The Operation Safe Driver Campaign moves us closer to achieving our safety goals."

For more on CVSA, visit www.cvsa.org or www.operationsafedriver.org .

The Trucker staff may be contacted to comment at [email protected] .

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