DOVER — The Delaware State Police Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Unit on Thursday announced that it will be participating in Operation Safe Driver Week initiatives starting Sunday, with a focus on speeding violations.

The weeklong initiative will consist of commercial motor vehicle inspectors specifically targeting speeding violations by both commercial motor vehicle operators and regular motorists engaging in unsafe driving behaviors in the vicinity of commercial motor vehicles.

In addition to the main target being speeding, Delaware State Police patrol units will also be looking for other violations on the roadways, to include distracted driving, failure to use a seat belt, following too closely, improper lane change, reckless or aggressive driving, failure to obey traffic control devices and driving under the influence. All violations will be tracked during the Operation Safe Driver Week initiative.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Traffic Safety Facts report, historically, drivers’ actions have contributed to 94% of all traffic-related crashes. While in 2018, NHTSA’s crash fatality data showed a 2.4% decline in overall fatalities, the number of fatal crashes involving large trucks increased by 0.9%.

“It’s essential that this enforcement initiative, which focuses on identifying and deterring unsafe driving behaviors, such as speeding, go on as scheduled,” said Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance President Sgt. John Samis, with the DSP. “As passenger vehicle drivers are limiting their travel to necessary trips and many commercial motor vehicle drivers are busy transporting vital goods to stores, it’s more important than ever to monitor our roadways for safe transport.”

It has been shown through data that traffic enforcement interactions between drivers and law enforcement officers reduce targeted problematic behaviors. CVSA’s Operation Safe Driver Week aims to reduce high-risk driving behaviors through traffic enforcement strategies.