U.S. transportation leaders are beginning to take more active steps to strengthen truck and bus traffic enforcement in order to make safety a higher priority.
Law enforcement trainers recently gathered at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (
FMCSA) national Training Center for the initial offering of the Large Truck and Bus Traffic Enforcement Train-the-Trainer course. The goal of the course, which is specifically dedicated to law enforcement personnel, is to have all police officers trained to concentrate on commercial vehicle traffic enforcement, which will improve the safety of US highways.
Tailgating, improper lane changes, texting while driving, speeding and other factors increase the likelihood of tragic crashes because drivers are distracted or rushed.
Trucks and buses are involved in 12 percent of the fatal crashes in the U.S. while comprising 4 percent of the registered vehicles on the roads and logging 9 percent of the miles traveled on U.S. highways.
The new course is one way the FMCSA plans to decrease the amount of deaths involving buses and trucks on the highways.
Further enforcing traffic safety laws with buses and large trucks will improve overall highway safety; the behavior of the driver receiving the ticket and the drivers observing the incident all change for the better.
