Kentucky State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement will be targeting unsafe driving behavior over the next few days as troopers participate in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Operation SafeDRIVE (Distracted Reckless Impaired Visibility Enforcement) to help prevent commercial motor vehicle-related crashes.
Officials say this enforcement campaign that complements national efforts to educate all drivers on safely sharing roads with large trucks will run from Tuesday through Thursday, August 1-3.
According to KSP officials, 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. 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.
West Commercial Vehicle Enforcement spokesperson, Sgt. Jason Morris says Operation SafeDRIVE can significantly impact highway safety. He says it is an opportunity for KSP to ensure drivers follow the rules of the road and offer tips to keep drivers protected.
KSP encourages all motorists to take the following advice 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 highway speeds the length of two football fields to stop.
Don’t tailgate: Tailgating a commercial vehicle puts you in a blind spot.
Operation SafeDRIVE coordinates with a national campaign run by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration called “Our Roads, Our Safety,” which educates all motorists on how to share the road safely.
