What feels like just coming off International Roadcheck 2023, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) announced July 9-15, 2023, as this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week. Throughout that week, law enforcement officers in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. will look for commercial and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in unsafe driving behaviors.

Those exhibiting unsafe driving behaviors will be pulled over, given a warning, and/or issued a ticket/citation by law enforcement. This year, the focus will be on speeding. 

This weeklong driver safety traffic enforcement and awareness campaign aim to identify unsafe drivers, deter dangerous driving behaviors, and prompt positive driving habits through officer interactions with drivers. 

Data shows that traffic stops and interactions with law enforcement help reduce problematic driving behaviors.

Examples of unsafe driver behaviors are speeding; improper lane changes, passing or turns; driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol; using a handheld device; failure to wear a seat belt, etc.

What is Operation Safe Driver Week?

Curious about what you should expect? Every year, Operation Safe Driver Week focuses on a specific unsafe driving behavior to call attention to the dangers of that behavior. For 2023, the focus will again be on speeding.

CVSA has continued to focus on speeding because it remains a persistent problem on our roadways. Speeding increases the frequency and severity of crashes, and unsafe speeds are a well-documented factor in fatalities and injuries.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation launched its National Roadway Safety Strategy, a comprehensive approach to significantly reducing serious injuries and deaths on highways, roads, and streets.

Part of the department’s Safe System Approach is to promote safer speeds in all roadway environments through targeted education, outreach campaigns, and enforcement.

CVSA’s Operation Safe Driver Program supports this strategy through its focus on speeding, and other unsafe driving behaviors, during the weeklong traffic enforcement initiative and its continued commitment to improving roadway safety through driver safety education and interactions with law enforcement.

Operation Safe Driver Week aims to improve roadway safety by reminding drivers via driver safety communication and education to manage their speeds and address speeding via responsive traffic enforcement.

In addition to traffic enforcement, driver safety education and awareness are key components of the Operation Safe Driver Program.

Operation Safe Driver is a CVSA program aimed at reducing unsafe driver behaviors through traffic enforcement and educating all drivers about ways to share the roads safely.

How Did Past Operation Safe Driver Weeks Turn Out?

Overall, since 2016 the number of drivers pulled over and issued a warning/citation has increased over the years, from 20,648 in 2016 to 26,164 in 2022. Check out the highs and lows over the past seven years:

2022 Operation Safe Driver Week Results

Officers in Canada and the U.S. pulled over more than 35,000 commercial motor vehicles and passenger vehicles and issued 26,164 warnings and citations to commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in unsafe driving behaviors, ranging from speeding to distracted driving. 

2021 Operation Safe Driver Week Results

Law enforcement officers in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. stopped 46,058 passenger vehicle and commercial motor vehicle drivers engaging in dangerous driving behaviors during CVSA’s 2021 Operation Safer Driver Week safety initiative. 

2020 Operation Safe Driver Week Results

Law enforcement personnel observed 66,421 drivers engaging in unsafe driver behaviors on roadways and issued 71,343 warnings and citations. Despite the challenges associated with the pandemic, 3,681 enforcement officers from 55 Canadian and U.S. jurisdictions interacted with 29,921 commercial motor vehicle drivers and 36,500 passenger vehicle drivers. 

2019 Operation Safe Driver Week Results

During Operation Safe Driver Week, July 14-20, 2019, officers issued 46,752 citations and 87,624 warnings to drivers for traffic enforcement violations, ranging from speeding to failure to wear a seatbelt. 

2018 Operation Safe Driver Week Results

Commercial motor vehicle enforcement personnel made contact with 113,331 commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers, and issued 57,405 citations and 87,907 warnings. 

2017 Operation Safe Driver Week Results

Enforcement personnel issued warnings/citations to more than 59,000 commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers for unsafe driving behaviors as part of Operation Safe Driver Week, Oct. 15-21, 2017. 

2016 Operation Safe Driver Week Results

Enforcement officials issued warnings/citations to 20,648 commercial motor vehicle drivers and private passenger-vehicle drivers for unsafe driving behaviors.