The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver Week, July 12-18, 2020, will continue as scheduled. During that week, law enforcement across North American will be actively monitoring unsafe driver behavior. The most common unsafe behaviors are distracted driving, 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, and speeding. Drivers displaying unsafe driving behavior will be pulled over by law enforcement and may be issued a warning or citation.

All unsafe driving behavior will be monitored, but this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week will have a specific focus on speeding, which CVSA said has been increasing in recent months with the decline of highway traffic due to COVID-19. CVSA reported, 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 CVSA’s 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.

• In New York City, transportation officials reported an increase of more than 60% in the number of speed camera tickets issued in March compared to a year ago. At the same time, traffic was down more than 90% compared to January.
• In Washington, D.C., traffic decreased 80% in March compared to January, while officials recorded a 20% increase in March speeding tickets. Of those tickets, violations for driving 21-25 mph over the speed limit rose by nearly 40%.
• Over just one weekend, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, police charged 18 drivers with stunt driving, with speeds of 80-106 mph on the Don Valley Parkway, a major freeway that’s limited to 55 mph.
• California reported an increase in speeding violations and although the California Highway Patrol’s call volume has decreased, the crashes they have recently responded to have been worse.
• Tucson Police reported a 40% increase in one-vehicle wrecks, which usually happens when a driver’s going so fast they lose control.
• In Minnesota, motor vehicle crashes and fatalities more than doubled compared to the same time period in previous years. Half those deaths were related to speeding or careless or negligent driving.
• In Colorado, Indiana, Nebraska and Utah, police have clocked highway speeds of more than 100 mph.
• Chicago and Los Angeles went from travel speed increases of 35-38% above average to 74-75% above average in just one week.

During last year’s Operation Safe Driver Week over 46,752 citations and 87,624 warnings were issued to drivers for violations ranging from speeding to failure to wear a seatbelt. This year, be prepared. Drivers should always participate in safe driving by following this guidance and motor vehicle laws:

• Always be “Fit for Duty” before driving the vehicle
• Always wear a seatbelt
• Avoid your phone while driving
• Leave room and move over
• Do not tailgate
• Use signals for lane changes
• Get all of your paperwork organized (License, Registration, Logbook, etc.)

Odyssey Logistics & Technology is committed to developing a safe work environment and logistics network for its employees and customers, and will continue to bring you the latest updates and results of these safety checks.

For more information regarding Operation Safe Driver week, visit: https://www.cvsa.org/