State Patrol troopers will be on the lookout for commercial motor vehicles with brake issues during Brake Safety Week from today through Saturday.
Troopers will be on the special patrol in District 8, which serves Clallam, Jefferson, Grays Harbor, Kitsap, Mason, Pacific and Wahkiakum counties.
The nationwide Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance emphasis focuses on vehicles with critical brake violations and faulty brake systems.
Brakes are required to be routinely inspected and maintained to perform at manufacturer’s specifications to avoid collisions.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 32.7 percent of large trucks with pre-crash violations suffered from brake issues, the State Patrol said.
Brake problems were identified to be the largest percentage of out-of-service vehicle violations cited during the 2017 International Roadcheck, a three-day enforcement emphasis that resulted in 62,013 inspections in the United States and Canada, the State Patrol said.
This year’s Brake Safety Week has grown from last year’s one-day emphasis on Sept. 7.
On 2017’s Brake Safety Day, 14 percent of the 7,698 inspections conducted in the United States and Canada resulted in a commercial motor vehicle being sidelined for brake-related violations.
