Safety effort to save lives on Kentucky roadways
Frankfort, Ky. (May 20, 2024) — Kentucky State Police (KSP) Commercial Vehicle Enforcement will participate in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Operation SafeDRIVE (Distracted Reckless Impaired Visibility Enforcement) from May 21-23, 2024. This enforcement campaign targets unsafe driving behavior that often leads to crashes involving passenger cars and commercial vehicles. It complements national efforts to educate all drivers on safely sharing roads with large trucks.
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.
Officer Stevie Douglas, East Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Spokesperson, said 62 percent of fatal large truck crashes involve two or more vehicles.
“With warmer weather, traffic on our highways increases leading to the possibility of crashes from dangerous driving behaviors like aggressive or distracted driving,” said Douglas. “Crashes are preventable, and this initiative will remind drivers to focus on the road and keep everyone safe as they travel through Kentucky.”
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 65 MPH 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.
The mission of KSP is to promote public safety through service, integrity and professionalism using partnerships to prevent, reduce and deter crime and the fear of crime, enhance highway safety through education and enforcement, safeguard property and protect individual rights.