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Operation Safe Driver, Teen Driver Safety Week
Aim to Reduce Crashes, Save Lives

Each year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) partners with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) to conduct "Operation Safe Driver," a high-profile traffic safety education and law enforcement campaign across North America.

On Monday, this year's week-long campaign was kicked off in Denver, Colo., with a simple message: Nearly all crashes are preventable, and safety is a shared responsibility among all motorists.

Whether you are a seasoned driver, a young person with a gleaming new driver's license, a motorcycle rider, a bicyclist, or pedestrian, always follow the rules of the road. Be courteous and stay alert – never allow yourself to become distracted – and be sure to take extra precautions when sharing the road with large trucks and buses.

As part of this year's Operation Safe Driver week, FMCSA has combed through safety performance records of motor carriers, looking at violations related to unsafe driving, hours-of-service, and other crash indicators. The group identified a priority list of 300 high-risk companies and 365 drivers.

Working in partnership with state and local law enforcement, safety personnel across the country are conducting investigations of these high-priority carriers and drivers, and are focused on bringing them into compliance with federal safety regulations...or taking them off the road.

This year's Operation Safe Driver campaign also coincides with National Teen Driver Safety Week, a nationwide push to remind our youngest and most at-risk drivers about NHTSA's "5 to Drive":

• NO cell phone while driving,
• NO speeding,
• NO extra passengers,
• NO alcohol or other drugs, and,
• NO driving or riding without a seat belt.

FMCSA would like to add one more item for teens in the NO column: Stay out of the NO Zones.

That means, stay out of the blind spots -- the "No Zone" -- along the sides, front and back of big trucks and buses where you can't been seen by the driver. Remember, if you can't see the truck or bus driver's face in their side mirrors, then they can't see your vehicle. Steer clear of the No Zones; never tail-gate; and avoid sudden turns or abrupt maneuvers near large commercial rigs.

Always keep your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, and head in the game.

FMCSA thanks and congratulates the many professional, safety-conscious truck and bus drivers across the country who have driven millions of miles crash-free. Their gratitude also goes to CVSA and the thousands of traffi- enforcement officers who put their own lives on the line to protect public safety every day of the week.