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the unsafe behaviors of both commercial and non-commercial drivers in order to increase safety on the road.
“ About 90 % of crashes are the result of driver error or unsafe driver behaviors, and only about 10 % are attributed to vehicle factors,” said Byrd.“ With this in mind, we must commit ourselves to focusing on appropriate and effective countermeasures that will impact driver behavior.”
Byrd questions the law enforcement agencies why they were reducing the amount of traffic enforcement in favor of increased inspections of trucks and driver credentials at roadside.“ I think most would agree that examining credentials is not the most effective way to discourage unsafe driving behavior. Visible, on-road enforcement of traffic laws yields far better results. In fact, a study published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in 2011 said just that. Specifically, in terms of crashes avoided, and lives and injuries saved, the benefits of traffic enforcement, coupled with some inspection activity, was about 3 times more effective than roadside vehicle inspections. This finding is consistent with my earlier observation about driver behavior being responsible for the vast majority of crashes.”
Byrd also asked CVSA to address the role of passenger vehicles in accidents, specifically fatal crashes.“ It may not surprise you to know that 80 % of fatal truck crashes involve another vehicle, usually a passenger vehicle. Also, you may
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44 DrivingForceMag. com August 2013 • • •
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