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National driving safety event scheduled for July

Motorists in Oklahoma and the rest of the country should be aware of Operation Safe Driver Week, which is being sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. The weeklong event, which is scheduled to begin on July 15, involves the participation of law enforcement officials who will be looking out for drivers of commercial and passenger vehicles engaged in unsafe driving.

According to a study conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, unsafe driving behavior is the primary cause of crashes on the highway. Based on the results of the study, such negligent driving behavior is responsible for 88 percent of accidents involving large trucks and 93 percent of wrecks involving passenger vehicles.

The CVSA initiated the Operation Safe Driver Program as tool to help lower the rates of crashes, injuries and fatalities caused by commercial vehicles driven by negligent drivers. During the event, law enforcement officials will increase their enforcement of passenger and commercial vehicle traffic violations.

Some of the unsafe driving behaviors that will be targeted include speeding, texting while driving, following too closely to another vehicle and distracted driving. Drivers may also be cited for improperly changing lanes, failing to wear a seat belt and not complying with traffic control devices.

The Operation Safe Driver Week in 2017 resulted in almost 39,000 warning and citations issued to commercial vehicle drivers. Most of the warnings and citations were related to local and state moving violations. These were followed by speeding, the failure to wear a seat belt, not complying with traffic control devices and using a cell phone while driving.

A personal injury attorney may pursue financial compensation on behalf of clients who have been injured in truck accidents. Commercial vehicles drivers can be held financially liable for accidents caused by speeding, driving while distracted or inadequate vehicle maintenance.