There were more than 2,600 tickets given during this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week, according to numbers released by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) on Monday.
Law enforcement personnel throughout North America interacted with 8,083 drivers on roadways during this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week. It issued 3,968 warnings and 2,604 tickets/citations to commercial motor vehicle (CMV) and passenger vehicle (PV) drivers for unsafe driving.
Law enforcement agencies representing 36 U.S. states, seven Canadian provinces and Mexico participated in this year’s initiative. Officers issued 3,409 warnings and 1,956 tickets/citations to commercial motor vehicle drivers, and 559 warnings and 648 tickets/citations to passenger vehicle drivers for various unsafe driving behaviors.
“The goal of Operation Safe Driver Week is to improve driver behavior through traffic enforcement, direct interaction with law enforcement, and public outreach and awareness,” CVSA’s release stated. “This year’s event was held July 12-18 and focused on reckless, careless and dangerous driving.”
“Participating member jurisdictions devote time, personnel and resources to this initiative because unsafe driving behaviors – such as speeding, distracted driving and aggressive driving – are among the leading causes of roadway crashes in North America,” CVSA added.
Reckless, Careless and Dangerous Driving
Eighty-three warnings and 33 citations were issued to drivers for reckless, careless and dangerous driving, the focus of this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week. Broken out by driver type, commercial motor vehicle drivers received 50 warnings and 22 citations, and passenger vehicle drivers received 33 warnings and 11 citations.
Reckless, careless and dangerous driving behaviors show a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of other people or property on the road. These actions put all road users at risk and continue to contribute to preventable crashes, injuries and fatalities. In the U.S. in 2025, 36,640 people were killed in traffic crashes. There was an average of 2,000 motor vehicle fatalities in 2023 in Canada, and Mexico reported 15,979 road deaths in 2022.
Speeding
Speeding was again the most frequently cited unsafe driving behavior during Operation Safe Driver Week. Officers issued 1,003 warnings and 691 citations for speeding-related violations. Commercial motor vehicle drivers accounted for 772 warnings and 342 citations, while passenger vehicle drivers accounted for 231 warnings and 349 citations.
Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to recognize and react to roadway hazards and increases the force of impact in a crash. In 2024, speeding contributed to 11,288 traffic deaths in the U.S. (29% of all traffic fatalities that year). In Canada, speed or driving too fast for conditions was cited as a contributing factor in 24.8% of all fatal collisions in 2023, and 66% of drivers do not respect speed limits in Mexico.
Failure to Wear a Seat Belt
Failure to wear a seat belt was another leading violation during the campaign. Officers issued 292 warnings and 311 citations for not wearing a seat belt. Commercial motor vehicle drivers received 267 warnings and 270 citations, while passenger vehicle drivers received 25 warnings and 41 citations.
CVSA said seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives and could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing seat belts, in the U.S in 2017 alone. In Canada in 2023, 32.6% of driver fatalities were not wearing seatbelts. And Mexico’s overall estimated seatbelt usage rate for 2017 was 58.9%.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
