Operation Safe Driver to Help Improve Commercial Driver Behavior

Operation Safe Driver, conducted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, will combine special enforcement with education to help improve highway safety for commercial vehicles this week. Highway crashes related to large trucks account for 12 percent of total fatal crashes nationwide.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Large Truck Causation study cited driver behavior as the critical reason for more than 88 percent of large truck crashes and 93 percent of passenger vehicle crashes. Unsafe driving is the key issue.

During the operation, troopers will be engaged in seatbelt safety enforcement. They’ll also be looking for speeders, vehicles following too close and other traffic violations.

“Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) equipment will continue to be a focus of our enforcement program, but the greatest gains will come from safer driving, which includes not only the CMV driver, but the other drivers they share the road with,” said Capt. Brian Preston of the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit.

Operation Safe Driver will be conducted statewide along highways with a high level of commercial vehicle traffic and high crash statistics.