REGIONAL NEWS
REGION II
North Carolina State Highway Patrol Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Updates By Monica Y. Greiss, Staff Development Specialist II, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina Department of Public Safety
Working Interstates and Reducing Electronic Distractions (WIRED) Campaign
CVSA National Training Center Virtual Course Administration
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration leads the national effort to save lives by preventing dangerous driving behaviors such as distracted driving. There are four types of distractions while driving:
As we wrap up the last quarter of 2021, the training unit of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol CVE Section remains at full speed. Collectively, they have adapted to conducting meetings and attending training via a virtual platform.
• VISUAL – looking at something other than the road • AUDITORY – hearing something not related to driving • MANUAL – taking hands off the wheel • C OGNITIVE – thinking something other than driving
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The North Carolina State Highway Patrol Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE) Section is doing its part to curb this issue at the state level. In May, it introduced WIRED, a crash reduction campaign concentrated on “Working Interstates and Reducing Electronic Distractions” while driving a commercial motor vehicle. To meet the goal of reducing distracted driving collisions, the CVE Section placed an emphasis on North American Standard Level III Inspections, which provide the highest visibility in high-crash corridors. Various troop interstate and roadway segments were selected for WIRED based on crash data provided by the Institute for Transportation Research and Education. WIRED enforcement occurs each week from May through December on the days and times with the highest historic collision rates.
Although there are many invaluable attributes to in-person learning, the CVE Section has embraced the convenience and flexibility of virtual course instruction. From January through September, it conducted four North American Standard Part A courses, two Part B courses, three General Hazardous Materials courses, one Cargo Tank Inspection course, one Passenger Carrier Vehicle Inspection course and one Other Bulk Packaging course. CVE Section instructors have provided classes to more than 200 in-state and out-of-state students. Master instructors M.R. Herring (retired) and Sgt. J.D. Berrong II and instructors Tpr. R.C. Rogers; Tpr. T.D. Darnell, Jr.; Tpr. B.C. Baxley; Tpr. C.V. Barrett; and Tpr. K.P. Marino, along with the newest addition to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol National Training Center instructor team, Sgt. M.E. Heon, all play a part in making the training program successful. Each instructor extensively researches and prepares for the courses in their area of certification and expertise. In addition, they readily make note of and share tips, tricks and trends with one another in order to effectively and consistently deliver course content across all areas. The main objective of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol CVE Section is to reduce commercial motor vehicle-involved collisions, fatalities and injuries statewide through consistent, uniform and effective commercial motor vehicle safety inspections. This objective is strengthened through partnerships with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which has as its primary mission to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses, and that agency’s National Training Center, which serves as the national focal point for the development and delivery of motor carrier safety training. These partnerships allow the CVE Section to keep its section of the nation’s roadways safer through commercial motor vehicle safety enforcement. n
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