Operation Safe Driver Program Update

By Jonathan Nicastro, Director, Motor Carrier Compliance Bureau, New York State Department of Transportation; Chair, CVSA Operation Safe Driver Program

Each summer, CVSA sponsors Operation Safe Driver (OSD) Week. This North American enforcement and education campaign targets unsafe driving behaviors by passenger vehicle and commercial motor vehicle drivers in an effort to combat fatalities.

The campaign started in 2007 and has become highly regarded by safety advocates, enforcement and industry.

The OSD program aims to reduce the unsafe driver behaviors that lead to crashes by educating all road users about ways to share the roads safely. The program:

• Targets unsafe driving behaviors by passenger vehicle drivers and commercial drivers

• Educates youth about safely sharing the roads with large trucks and buses

• Offers commercial driver education and awareness programs to the motor carrier population

• Informs the general motoring public about safe operations around commercial motor vehicles

• Aims to improve commercial driver regulatory compliance

• Conducts passenger vehicle and commercial motor vehicle traffic enforcement initiatives

The program’s principals are practiced daily by professional drivers in trucks, buses and cars. Most reasonable people play the important role of driving safely and avoiding crash involvement. To this end, I like to think about how many crash incidents are avoided by motorists, especially the professional commercial drivers on the roads that traversed 3.2 trillion miles in 2022. Our collective good driving behaviors save lives.

Additionally, seat belt usage is at an all-time high of over 91%. In 2017 – the most recent year the data is available – an estimated 15,000 lives were saved by seat belt use.

However, there is more work to do: In 2020, about 12,000 crash-related deaths were attributed to the vehicle occupants not wearing a seat belt. More than 25% of fatal crashes are speed related and more than 30 people per day are killed in alcohol-related crashes. These incidents are completely preventable. OSD’s mission is to educate and enforce these preventable deaths away.

The OSD program leadership encourages all CVSA members and jurisdictions to participate in Operation Safe Driver Week, July 9-15. Here are a few ways industry and enforcement members can participate:

Conduct comprehensive inspections and traffic enforcement in high-crash corridors.

• Target motorists displaying unsafe driving behaviors and violating traffic laws in and around commercial vehicles.

• Utilize additional officers to bolster your passenger vehicle enforcement capabilities.

Partner with trucking/bus associations to conduct industry outreach events and training.

• Expand the outreach to teen drivers by using social media and speaking at driver education classes.

• Leverage the training materials and video public service announcements provided on the OSD website to strengthen your training programs and communication efforts.

Promote OSD Week with postcards and social media. Enforcement can send OSD Week postcards to the riskiest carriers in your jurisdiction and issue the cards roadside leading up to the event. Associations can provide the cards to members and use social media to promote OSD Week.

Rate crashes for preventability. Bolster your organization’s safety posture by understanding that crashes are preventable. Rate every incident you have for preventability and use these ratings to mitigate risks.

Try driver-monitoring technology. Consider using technology to monitor driver behavior and correct concerns before a crash occurs.