Arizona Department of Public Safety partners with Arizona Trucking Association in support of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Operation Safe Driver – Operation Results

The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) in a partnership with the Arizona Trucking Association (ATA) conducted a high-visibility enforcement operation along with public outreach events during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver week. Enforcement activities statewide resulted in 1790 commercial vehicle inspections and 2204 passenger car traffic stops. Operation Safe Driver occurs every October and focuses on enforcement of crash-causing moving violations committed by both commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles operating around large trucks and buses. Enforcement summary:

Commercial Vehicle Inspections 1790

Driver out of service rate 12.9%

Vehicle out of service rate 8.1%

Citations Issued 240

Passenger Car Traffic Stops 2204

Citations Issued 794

Over 400 Highway Patrol Officers participated in the enforcement mobilization. Additionally, Highway Patrol Officers and ATA staff taught the Teens and Trucks driving training course at a Valley high school in an effort to educate young drivers on safe driving habits around large trucks and buses.

"Operation Safe Driver is the type of program the Arizona Department of Public Safety will continue to utilize to maximize its use of limited resources while providing significant public and traffic safety services to the State of Arizona," said Lieutenant Colonel Jack Hegarty of the Highway Patrol Division. "The partnership we have with ATA continues to provide the crucial education component of any comprehensive traffic safety program."

“The Arizona Trucking Association partners with the Arizona Department of Public Safety through education and safety programs with the common goal of safe roadways throughout the State of Arizona. This partnership between the commercial vehicle industry and enforcement is an important element of traffic safety,” said Karen Rasmussen, President of the Arizona Trucking Association. “The Teens and Trucks program developed by the ATA and the AZDPS allows the message to reach drivers throughout the country. Operation Safe Driver brings education and safety together in a concentrated effort throughout the State of Arizona and North America.”

Motorists should remember the following safety tips when driving near a big truck:

• Stay out of the No-Zone. No-Zones are actual blind spots where the car “disappears” from the view of the truck driver.

• Stay visible! Large trucks need a much longer braking distance than a car. Don’t cut into a trucks’ space; if this happens it reduces a trucks’ much needed breaking distance and restricts evasive action.

• Don’t tailgate a truck. The further you are away from a truck the less likely you will be involved in a collision.

• Don’t speed. Obey all speed limits.

• Allow plenty of room. Large trucks are almost as wide as your lane of travel. Pacing too close behind one prevents you from reacting to changing traffic conditions and patterns.

• Buckle-up. Wearing your safety belt is the single most important thing you can do to save your life in a crash.

Protect yourself and your passengers by learning how to share the road safely with large vehicles. For more information about the Arizona Share The Road program, visit www.arizonatrucking.com or www.azdps.gov. For information regarding the CVSA Operation Safe Driver program, visit www.cvsa.org or www.operationsafedriver.com.

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