It’s always a wise idea to maintain safe and legal speeds, but this week there is an emphasis on awareness and enforcement of speeding laws.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) designated July 11-16 as “Operation Safe Driver Week” and declared that this year’s emphasis is speeding.

“CVSA selected speeding as its focus this year because despite a drop in roadway travel last year due to the pandemic, nationally, traffic fatalities increased,” a press release from CVSA reads. “According to the National Safety Council’s (NSC) preliminary estimates, the estimated rate of death on roads last year increased 24 percent over the previous 12-month period, despite miles driven dropping 13 percent.”

The CVSA continued its report by declaring that the death rate is the highest estimated year-to-year increase that the NSC has calculated in nearly a century.

During this week, law enforcement personnel will be looking for commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in risky driving behaviors in or around a commercial motor vehicle. In addition to speeding, law enforcement officers will be tracking reckless or aggressive driving, distracted driving, following too closely, improper lane change, failure to obey traffic control devices, failure to use a seat belt, evidence of drunk or drugged driving, etc.

CVSA created its Operation Safe Driver Program to help to reduce the number of crashes involving commercial motor vehicles and passenger vehicles caused by unsafe driving behaviors. Operation Safe Driver Week is sponsored by CVSA, in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and with support from the motor carrier industry and transportation safety organizations.

The CVSA also provides education and resources to encourage safe driving in and around commercial vehicles.