Partnering for Safe Drivers, Safe Roads: Operation Safe Driver Week, July 10–16
Operation Safe Driver Week highlights a multi-state, high visibility traffic enforcement and education campaign that focuses on changing bad driver behavior. This year’s initiative happens July 10–16, 2022.
During Operation Safe Driver Week, law enforcement will be on our nation’s roadways looking for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in risky driving. During Operation Safe Driver Week, law enforcement personnel aim to make our roadways safer by targeting high-risk driving behaviors and provide educational outreach, to promote safer driving.
FMCSA also provides resources to educate and reinforce safe driving behaviors with all drivers, especially those driving around large trucks and buses. The goal with these materials is to inform drivers — both CMV drivers and other motorists — of not only the upcoming enforcement period but also to provide better education on safe driving techniques to reduce traffic fatalities and crashes along our interstates.
Operation Safe Driver Week monitors all motorists to ensure they are obeying all traffic laws and will monitor CMV drivers to ensure they are following industry regulations. During these periods, the multi-jurisdictional partnership promotes higher traffic enforcement presence along high CMV travel/crash areas.3
Commercial motor vehicle drivers should follow these tips:
• Always obey all traffic laws: obey the speed limit, slow for work zones, and don’t drive distracted. Unsafe driving behaviors can lead to crashes and fatalities.
• Make sure your vehicle is in safe working order, and follow all regulations regarding hours of service, medical certification, and CMV credentialing and driver licensing.
All motorists should follow these safety tips:
• Always obey the speed limit and wear your seatbelt.
• When driving around large trucks and buses, be patient and leave more space.
• Drivers of large trucks and buses have large blind spots: Don’t cut off commercial motor vehicles or drive on the left or right side of them for a long period of time.
• Big trucks take 40% more space to stop: Don’t follow commercial motor vehicles too closely or merge or make sudden stops directly in front of them.
Periods of high visibility enforcement — coupled with continual road safety education — can help keep our roads safer and ultimately save lives. Visit FMCSA’s Our Roads, Our Safety public education campaign to learn how both passenger vehicle and CMV drivers can share the road safely together and Operation Safe Driver Week to learn more about the 2022 initiative.
