The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has announced that its annual Operation Safe Driver Week will be held in 2019 from July 14 to 20. Both passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle drivers in Pennsylvania should know that during this event, law enforcement officials across North America will be increasingly on the lookout for unsafe drivers. Those who are stopped may be issued a warning or citation.
Last year’s Operation Safe Driver Week ended with 57,405 citations and 87,907 warnings being given. In all, 51,000 law enforcement personnel stopped 113,331 drivers. Breaking state and local traffic laws was the number one reason for citations while the second was speeding. Speeding citations were handed to 16,909 passenger vehicle drivers and 1,908 CMV operators.
The 2019 Operation Safe Driver Week is to focus on speeding. CVSA representatives said that speeding has been behind nearly a third of all car accident fatalities for the past 20 years. Its role in crash injuries is even more prominent with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finding it to be a factor in 94% of traffic crashes in 2015.
The CVSA has pointed to programs like “Click It or Ticket” to show that intensified law enforcement can reduce car crash numbers. Every 1% increase in law enforcement is said to create a 0.28% decrease in collisions.
Of course, not everyone is deterred from speeding by the presence of law enforcement. Many truckers trying to meet deadlines will speed, and some of them wind up causing truck accidents. In such cases, drivers and passengers in the other vehicle may be able to file a personal injury claim against the trucking company and be reimbursed for their losses, including medical expenses and income lost during their recovery. With a lawyer, they may negotiate for a settlement out of court or litigate.