Operation Safe Driver 2020

What is Operation Safe Driver and its Purpose?

The CVSA’s Operation Safe Driver program was created in 2007 to help reduce the number of crashes, deaths, and injuries involving large trucks, buses, and passenger vehicles due to unsafe driving behaviors. This program is sponsored by the CVSA, in partnership with FMCSA and with support from industry and transportation safety organizations. The initiative aims to help improve the behavior of all drivers operating in an unsafe manner, either in or around commercial motor vehicles, through educational and traffic enforcement strategies to address individuals exhibiting high-risk driving behaviors.

What are the Dates and Emphasis of the Operation Safe Driver Week?

The 2020 dates for the Operation Safe Driver Week for 2020 are July 12-18. Law enforcement personnel will be on the lookout for commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in dangerous driver behaviors. This year’s Safe Driver Week will focus on speeding, which CVSA said has been increasing in recent months with highway traffic significantly declining due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its news release, CVSA noted that less traffic because of shelter-in-place and shutdown orders in most states appears to have encouraged some drivers to ignore traffic safety laws, including speed limits.

“Despite there being far fewer vehicles on the road due to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, many jurisdictions are seeing a severe spike in speeding,” the release states. As the number of vehicles on roadways decreased in March and April, average speeds measured during the first week of April increased significantly in the five largest U.S. metropolitan areas. According to recent data, the average speed on interstate highways, state highways and expressways in those areas increased by as much as 75% compared to January and February. To address this alarming trend of increased speeding on our roadways during the pandemic, CVSA selected speeding as the focus area for this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week.

It’s essential that this enforcement initiative, which focuses on identifying and deterring unsafe driving behaviors, such as speeding, go on as scheduled,” CVSA President John Samis, a sergeant for the Delaware State Police, said in the news release. “As passenger vehicle drivers are limiting their travel to necessary trips and many commercial motor vehicle drivers are busy transporting vital goods to stores, it’s more important than ever to monitor our roadways for safe transport.”

In addition to the emphasis on speeding, other dangerous driver behaviors will be tracked such as:

Distracted Driving
Texting
Failure to Use a Seatbelt
Following Too Closely
Improper Lane Change
Reckless or Aggressive Driving
Failure to Obey Traffic Control Devices
Evidence of Drunk or Drugged Driving

What were the results from the 2019 Operation Safe Driver Week?

Officers issued 46,752 citations and 87,624 warnings to drivers for traffic enforcement violations, ranging from speeding to failure to wear a seatbelt. Speeding/violations of the basic speed law/driving too fast for conditions was the most cited violation this year with 17,556 total citations. Passenger vehicle drivers were issued 16,102 citations and 21,001 warnings, and CMV drivers received 1,454 citations and 2,126 warnings.

For the full results from the 2019 Operation Safe Driver Week click on the following link – https://www.cvsa.org/news-entry/2019-osd-week-results/