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Heavy truck safety promoted during aggressive driving enforcement wave

Published July 25. 2021 10:38PM
by Jim Marsh Special to The Press

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, along with commonwealth traffic safety partners, held a media event July 12 along Fogel Road in Upper Macungie Township to promote Operation Safe Driver Week, July 11-17 throughout the commonwealth, during which law enforcement agencies are conducting an ongoing aggressive driving enforcement wave aimed at heavy truck and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in dangerous driver behaviors.

While the theme for this year is aimed at speeders, law enforcement officers will also be looking for distracted driving, failure to use seat belts, following too closely and aggressive driving behaviors.

National highway safety statistics for 2018 indicated speeding was a factor in 26 percent of all traffic fatalities, killing 9,378 people nationwide – an average of 25 people per day.

Data shows even a 10 mph increase in speeds raises the risk of a crash more than 9 percent. Speed continues to be the number one factor cited in driver-related highway fatal crashes.

Participating in the event July 12, along with PennDOT, were the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, the Upper Macungie Township Police Department and Pennsylvania Highway Safety Network.

As a backdrop for the event, a mobile Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association safety trailer was emblazoned with a side-of-truck mural showing the motor vehicle blind spots encountered by big-rig operators on the highway.

Press Photo by Jim Marsh Tracy Fox, community traffic project coordinator with District 5-0 of the Highway Safety Network, a partner with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, holds a news conference July 12, along Fogel Road, Upper Macungie Township, to highlight heavy truck safety during an ongoing aggressive driving enforcement wave currently being conducted across the commonwealth. Behind Fox, from left to right, are: William Rohrbach, patrol officer with the Upper Macungie Police Department; John McKown, a representative of national truck carrier TForce Freight and Robert Dolan of Vorzik Transport, of McKean, both representing the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association and Lt. Cory Reader, of the Upper Macungie Police Department. The group is flanked by a traveling educational trailer exhibit used to help motorist awareness of traffic blind spots of tractor trailer operators.