State Patrol troopers and commercial vehicle enforcement officers are conducting a week-long emphasis focused on safe driving for commercial vehicles.
The Operation Safe Driver emphasis patrol kicked off Sunday and will continue through Saturday in State Patrol District 8, which includes Clallam and Jefferson counties.
It is sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
Troopers will target unsafe driving behaviors by both commercial vehicle drivers and the motoring public driving in the vicinity of commercial vehicles. They will increase traffic enforcement on violations that contribute to unsafe driving behaviors, such as speed, aggressive driving, distracted driving and inattention.
The emphasis also extends to educating the motoring public on how to safely drive in the vicinity of a commercial motor vehicle.
According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, 70 percent of all fatal collisions involving semi-trucks and passenger vehicles results in the driver of the passenger vehicle being killed due to the difference in size and weight of the vehicles.
The traffic safety commission said that most collisions involving passenger vehicles and semi-trucks are caused by passenger vehicles not leaving enough space while merging or passing around a commercial motor vehicle. Motorists are encouraged to provide extra following distance and avoid a semi-truck’s blind spots.
