RALEIGH – The North Carolina State Highway Patrol will again join forces with law enforcement partners in surrounding states for Operation SafeDRIVE.
Operation SafeDRIVE (Distracted Reckless Impaired Visibility Enforcement) calls for a period of concentrated vehicular traffic enforcement with the goal of eliminating commercial motor vehicle (CMV) collisions and reducing associated fatalities, according to the NCHP. Operating efforts are aimed at eliminating traffic collisions with commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) during high-visibility law enforcement periods along the southeast corridor of Interstate 95, where 13% occur fatal collisions with commercial vehicles. The application period is from today to Thursday.
“The State Highway Patrol is proud to be part of this initiative again in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and our law enforcement counterparts throughout the Southeast,” said Col. Freddy L. Johnson Jr., commander of the State Highway Patrol. . “We are committed to reducing unsafe driving behavior on our essential trade routes. Our goal is to educate and raise awareness of all motorists, including passenger and commercial vehicle drivers, on how to share the road safely. »
SafeDRIVE enforcement efforts will focus on both passenger and commercial vehicles, and will include monitoring for aggressive driving, speeding, tailgating, not wearing seatbelts, distracted driving and impaired driving, according to the State Highway Patrol. Efforts will also help ensure VMC drivers meet industry regulations, including hours of service compliance, commercial driver’s license compliance, medical certification and commercial motor vehicle accreditation. .
SafeDRIVE’s enforcement efforts complement a nationwide campaign led by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the “Our Roads, Our Safety” campaign, which educates motorists on how to share the road safely and efficiently. safety with utility vehicles.
All motorists should follow these safety tips:
— Stay away from blind spots. Big trucks and buses have huge blind spots on all four sides.
– Pass safely. Make sure you can see the driver of the CMV in his side mirror. Clearly and safely signal when the truck or bus is overtaking. Don’t linger in the blind spot.
— Do not cut large vehicles. It takes a big truck traveling at high speed the length of two football fields to stop.
— Do not tailgate. Tailgating a truck or bus puts you in a blind spot.
All road users must share the road safely, according to the NCHP.
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