Michigan police motor carrier officers adopt aggressive safety goal

When it comes to commercial vehicle fatal crashes, speed is the largest contributing factor, followed by distraction or inattention and then impairment, which includes driving while fatigued or after consuming alcohol or drugs, according to research by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

In 2014 alone, 27 people were killed in commercial motor vehicle-involved crashes in Michigan. These statistics include a 14-year-old boy from Detroit, a husband and wife from Atlanta (Mich.), a 55-year-old man from Muskegon and an 11-year-old girl from Daggett.

"The hardship and suffering of even one family due to a preventable traffic crash is too much," stated Capt. Michael Krumm, commander of the Michigan State Police Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division. "To improve traffic safety related to commercial motor vehicles, we are increasing not only our enforcement efforts but also our education efforts we all have a role to play in being responsible drivers."

This month, the Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division of the Michigan State Police became the newest partner in the nationwide traffic safety initiative "Toward Zero Deaths," which seeks to significantly reduce traffic fatalities toward the ultimate goal of zero traffic deaths.

As part of the initiative, MSP motor carrier officers will increase enforcement in areas and during times with the highest rate of crashes, as identified by crash data. Officers will focus on moving violations by commercial motor vehicles, including speeding, driving while fatigued and careless driving that results from driver distraction.

Banners with the Toward Zero Deaths logo will be displayed at weigh stations and enforcement locations. Toward Zero Deaths is the United States' highway safety vision. It unites stakeholders from engineering, enforcement, education and emergency medical services with the common goal of reducing traffic fatalities to zero. Learn more at www.towardzerodeaths.org.

Published: Mon, Jul 20, 2015