By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Kentucky State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers will participate in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Operation SafeDrive (Districted Reckless Impaired Visibility Enforcement) campaign Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
This enforcement effort targets unsafe driving behavior that often leads to crashes involving passenger cars and commercial vehicles. It complements national efforts to educate all drivers on safely sharing roads with large trucks.
The national SafeDRIVE initiative cracks down on dangerous interstate driving behaviors such as aggressive driving, speeding, tailgating, failing to wear a seat belt, distracted driving, and driving under the influence.
Share the road with large vehicles. (Photo provided)
During this effort, KSP Commercial Vehicle Inspectors will open scale facilities, ensuring commercial drivers follow safety regulations, including hours of service compliance, commercial driver license compliance, medical certification, and commercial motor vehicle credentialing.
Sgt Jason Morris, West Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Spokesperson, said 62 percent of fatal large truck crashes involve two or more vehicles. “Our CVE officers and inspectors are committed to preventing dangerous driving behaviors like aggressive or distracted driving. Crashes are preventable, and this initiative makes it safer for everyone on our roadways.”
KSP encourages all motorists to take the following advice when encountering large trucks while driving on the roads:
• Stay out of blind spots. Large trucks and buses have big blind spots on all four sides.
• Pass safely. Make sure you can see the truck driver in their side mirror. Use your turn signals, and don’t linger in the blind spot. Make sure you can see the CMV vehicle in your rearview mirror before pulling in front.
• Don’t cut off large vehicles. It takes a large truck traveling at 65 miles per hour the length of two football fields to stop.
• Don’t tailgate. Tailgating a commercial vehicle puts you in a blind spot.
Operation SafeDRIVE is part of an ongoing national campaign run by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration called “Our Roads, Our Safety,” which educates all drivers on how to share the road safely.
