Kentucky enforcement campaign aims to curb distracted driving from truckers

Truckers traveling through the Blue Grass state will notice an increased police presence over the next couple days.

According to the Kentucky State Police, from now through Aug. 3, officers from the department’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement division will participate in a statewide enforcement campaign geared towards ending distracted driving habits among commercial vehicle drivers.

The department says that over the three-day enforcement blitz, “Commercial Vehicle Inspectors will open scale facilities, ensuring commercial drivers follow safety regulations, including hours-of-service compliance, commercial driver’s license compliance, medical certification, and commercial motor vehicle credentialing.”

“This enforcement campaign targets unsafe driving behavior that often leads to crashes involving passenger cars and commercial vehicles,” KSP said in a statement. “It complements national efforts to educate all drivers on safely sharing roads with large trucks.”

That “national effort” they’re referring to is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Operation SafeDRIVE.

According to FMCSA, the goal of the national SafeDRIVE initiative – which stands for Distracted Reckless Impaired Visibility Enforcement – is to curb “dangerous interstate driving behaviors such as aggressive driving, speeding, tailgating, failing to wear a seat belt, distracted driving, and driving under the influence.”

The program coordinates with another national campaign called “Our Roads, Our Safety” which educates all motorists on how to share the road safely.

In addition to cracking down on commercial vehicles, the Kentucky State Police are encouraging 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 highway speeds the length of two football fields to stop.
• Don’t tailgate:Tailgating a commercial vehicle puts you in a blind spot.

Sgt. Jason Morris, spokesperson for the department’s West Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, says that enforcement blitzes like Operation SafeDRIVE can have a significant on impact highway safety.

“It is important to our officers that everyone travels safely on our roadways,” Morris said. “Operation SafeDRIVE is an opportunity for us to ensure drivers follow the rules of the road and offer tips to keep drivers protected.” LL