The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance promotes safe driving practices among commercial drivers in Florida and nationwide. In July 2019, CVSA joined forces with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to organize Operation Safe Driver Week. This event directed law enforcement to focus on speeding due to its contribution to many fatal crashes. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that more than 25% of traffic fatalities since 2008 involved speeding. Among commercial drivers issued citations during the event, 1,454 of them had been speeding. Another 2,126 commercial drivers received warnings for speeding.
Speeding violations encompassed either ignoring the posted speed limit or driving too fast for conditions. The enforcement event also identified many truckers who had failed to use their seat belts. This was the second most common type of violation. Failure to obey traffic signals came in third place. Officers cited 426 truckers for this violation and communicated 871 warnings.
Distraction represented the fourth leading source of citations and warnings. During the event, 249 truckers received citations for driving while texting or using a handheld device for other purposes. Another 871 were given warnings. Overall, officers gave out 17,556 total citations that included problems with driver behavior or faulty vehicle equipment.
When truck drivers make errors or act negligently, they or their trucking companies might be liable for the damages suffered by victims of truck accidents. The large size of most commercial vehicles increases their potential to inflict serious or disabling injuries. For this reason, a victim might face high medical expenses and have difficulty filing a personal injury claim without assistance. An attorney may be able to ease the burdens by managing an accident investigation and communicating with an insurer. An attorney’s familiarity with trucking regulations might result in the identification of violations that support a claim for damages.
