Washington State Patrol troopers will team up with the trucking industry May 20-24 to nab four-wheelers driving aggressively around big rigs as part of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks Project.
Troopers will ride along with truckers to look for motorists who are driving unsafely around big trucks. When a trooper spots a car speeding, cutting others off or driving aggressively around a truck, the trooper will radio ahead to fellow officers to stop the motorist.
“We continue to see passenger car drivers as the main cause of most truck involved collisions,” said Capt. Jason Berry, commander of the Washington State Patrol Commercial Vehicle Division. “People need to understand they have to give these big trucks plenty of space. When there is a car-versus-truck collision, there’s a good chance the people in the car will be injured.”
Washington began the Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks Project in September 2012. In the first weeklong drive-along troopers contacted a total of 485 drivers; 280 tickets were issued and troopers conducted 18 commercial motor vehicle inspections. In a second ride-along week in December 2012, troopers contacted 502 drivers; 286 car drivers and 23 commercial motor vehicle drivers received tickets for driving aggressively around other big trucks.
Most collisions involving commercial motor vehicles that occur in King County happen on the interstate and state routes, according to the Sammamish Review. Troopers will patrol Interstate 5 from Seattle to Federal Way, Interstate 90 from Seattle to North Bend, Interstate 405 from Bellevue to Tukwila, state Route 167 from state Route 18 to I-405, and state Route 18 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. — the times when most collisions occur.
The project is funded with a grant from the FMCSA. The grant is part of a program directed by Congress in 2004 to educate passenger car drivers on how to share the roadway safely with commercial vehicles.
