The Operation Safe Driver Week held by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) will happen on July 12-18 in 2020. Law enforcement personnel will watch for drivers who are taking careless approaches on driving in the North America Highways. Drivers may be pulled over and may be warned or fined.

Being a selfless driver means taking care of their own safety and the others. A driver must take care of all the measures necessary on the road to maintain safety as a priority.

As mentioned by CVSA, the number of vehicles in the highways decreased during March and April of 2020, but the average speed increased during the first week of April in the 5 largest U.S metropolitans areas. Data from CVSA shows that speed increased as much as 75% compared to January and February.

Here are some interesting facts from CVSA:

• 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.

Why Operation Safe Driver Week?

The purpose is to reduce driving behavior that brings a risk for the drivers themselves and other people. The main goal is to maintain safety on the roads. Enforcement officials will be increasing commercial vehicle and non-commercial vehicle traffic enforcement. In addition to speeding, they will be on the lookout for other  dangerous driver behaviors such as distracted driving, failure to use a seat belt, following too closely, improper lane change, reckless or aggressive driving, failure to obey traffic control devices, and evidence of drug and alcohol use. Make sure you are prepared!