Traffic Patrol Officers: Increase Bus/Truck Traffic Enforcement
FROM CRASH PREVENTION TO ELIMINATION OF DANGEROUS DRIVERS, THIS SECTION WILL EXAMINE THE REASONS THAT CONDUCTING TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT WITH LARGE TRUCKS/BUSES IS IMPORTANT FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR ROADWAYS.
We need to conduct traffic enforcement with large trucks/buses for a variety of reasons. Prevent crashes/congestion Prevent property damage Identify high risk drivers/carriers Intercept criminal activity
Routine traffic stops of commercial trucks/buses occur routinely less than stops with passenger vehicles. This lack of enforcement has several potential causes; including unfamiliarity with commercial truck/bus paperwork, the increased size/weight of these vehicles and a lack of experience in conducting these stops.
Annual truck crash fatalities are equivalent to a major airplane crash every other week Annual cost to society from crashes with large trucks/buses is approximately $83 billion In fatal two vehicle crashes between a large truck and a passenger vehicle, 98% of fatalities were occupants of passenger vehicle
As part of any traffic stop, the officer should be looking for anything out of the ordinary, including possible signs of drug trafficking and/or terrorism. This is one of the reasons that traffic stops with commercial trucks/buses is a critical part of traffic enforcement and should be conducted with regularity.
Due to the high stakes consequences of crashes involving commercial trucks/buses, it is imperative that high risk drivers be removed from the roadway. It is the responsibility of all law enforcement to engage in commercial truck/bus enforcement in order to identify and remove high risk drivers and carriers.
According to the FMCSA, hundreds of millions of passengers rely on motorcoaches for travel. Officers are often hesitant to stop motorcoaches as they don't want to delay passengers. However, in order to improve safety for these passengers, by ensuring that unsafe operators are taken off the road, increasing traffic enforcement of motorcoaches is a priority.
UMassSafe • UMassSafe@ecs.umass.edu • www.ecs.umass.edu/UMassSafe
This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under a grant/cooperative agreement
