It is the responsibility of every person who drives on the roads to conduct themselves in a safe and attentive manner, regardless of the type of vehicle they are driving. When someone chooses to drive their vehicle with willful disregard for the safety or others, their recklessness can result in serious or deadly accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that 36,640 people were killed in 2025 in traffic accidents; statistics like this one are why safe driving awareness programs matter, including the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver Week.
CVSA’s annual Operation Safe Driver Week takes place from July 12 to 18 this year, with the goal of improving drivers’ behaviors and creating safer roads for everyone. During this week, law enforcement personnel identify unsafe driving behaviors and issue warnings or tickets/citations for commercial motor vehicle and passenger vehicle drivers alike.
Careless/dangerous driving can be defined as operating a vehicle without due care and attention or reasonable consideration for other motorists or people on the road. The unsafe driving habits law enforcement looks for include speeding, following too closely, unsafe lane changes, distracted driving, fatigued driving, impaired driving, failure to wear a seatbelt, disregarding traffic signals, and more.
What is the Purpose of Operation Safe Driver Week?
The ultimate aim of Operation Safe Driver Week is to bring awareness to crashes caused by unsafe driving actions and reduce the number of accidents on our roadways. Through education, traffic-enforcement strategies, and driver interactions with law enforcement, CVSA encourages drivers to address and improve their reckless driving behaviors. Crashes caused by driver-related behaviors are largely preventable, and calling out these behaviors is one of the most effective ways to reduce injuries and fatalities, ultimately refining overall road safety.
Research has found that traffic stops and interactions with law enforcement actually help to reduce problematic driving behaviors, and Operation Safe Driver Week’s encouragement of law enforcement personnel issuing warnings/citations to reckless drivers is meant to do just that.
Why is Reckless Driving Awareness Important?
Reckless driving can include a variety of unsafe driving behaviors, such as impaired, distracted, and fatigued driving, as well as any behaviors that are negligent of the safety of others, like speeding, failure to use proper signals or adhere to traffic signals, and more. Since 2008, speeding has been a factor in more than 25% of fatal accidents in the United States and speeding of any kind was the most frequent driver-related factor in wrecks for drivers of commercial motor and passenger vehicles.
Furthermore, distracted driving was a contributing factor in the deaths of 3,208 people in the United States in 2024. Nearly 50% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2024 did not have their seatbelt buckled at the time of the accident. Drunk driving fatality rates are also high, with 32 people dying in drunk driving crashes every day, equating to one person every 44 minutes. 11,904 people were killed in drunk driving accidents in 2024.
This data does not only apply to passenger vehicle drivers. Professional drivers operating semi-trucks and other commercial motor vehicles are just as capable of engaging in or experiencing harm as a result of reckless driving. Several reckless driving behaviors ranked among the top ten driver-related factors for large truck drivers in fatal crashes in 2022. Speeding of any kind accounted for 6.4% of fatal accidents; careless driving, inattentive operation, improper driving, driving without due care made up 5.7% of deadly crashes; distraction/inattention was 4.8%; and impairment was also 4.8% of wrecks. The top three driver-related factors for fatal large truck accidents across all weight classes were included in that list.
Each of these statistics emphasizes the importance of reckless driving awareness. The more people understand the consequences that come with reckless and dangerous driving behaviors, the more likely it is for those numbers to eventually decrease. As stated by the CVSA, interactions with law enforcement regarding reckless driving can actually make drivers more aware of the dangers that come with their behaviors.
For Operation Safe Driver Week in 2025, law enforcement officers in both the United States and Canada pulled over 8,739 vehicles, issuing 2,504 tickets/citations and 3,575 warnings to drivers of passenger and commercial motor vehicles for unsafe driving infractions. 3,230 of those warnings and 1,839 of the tickets/citations were issued to commercial motor vehicle drivers, while 345 warnings and 665 tickets/citations were distributed to passenger vehicle drivers. Of the reckless driving infractions observed during 2025 Operation Safe Driver Week, speeding was the most common with 1,249 warnings and 917 citations/tickets. Commercial motor vehicle drivers received 1,073 of those warnings and 491 of the tickets/citations. Each warning or citation could influence drivers to be more conscientious of their driving behaviors.
How Can I Avoid Reckless Drivers on the Roads?
While you can change your own personal driving habits to avoid driving recklessly, you cannot alter how others choose to drive. For the times you observe dangerous driving habits on the roads around you, it is best to understand how to remain vigilant near these drivers to secure your own safety.
One of the best ways to keep yourself safe is to practice defensive driving by avoiding any distractions, keeping your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road, and your focus on driving. Remaining attentive while you drive keeps you alert and prepared for any hazards that may arise. You should keep your head on a swivel, watching not only the vehicle in front of you but also those that are behind or on either side of you. Avoid driving in the blind spots of other vehicles, especially large trucks and semis, and ensure you are maintaining a safe following distance from the vehicle in front of you, allowing for more stopping distance at night and during adverse weather conditions. Watch for signs of road rage, such as honking, speeding around vehicles, raising arms, or cutting others off, and steer clear when you see these behaviors. If another driver directs their rage at you, try not to look at them or engage in conflict and instead pull off at the nearest stop if you need to calm down or allow them to drive away from you.
Tools like Semi Crash Map provide drivers with the opportunity to look at recent crash data to decide what routes are the safest for their commutes. This map includes markers of semi accidents and supplies general information about each wreck, including the circumstances involved and the contributing factors. Drivers can look up specific roadways and examine map markers to help them determine which routes may frequently see reckless drivers and therefore avoid those roadways.
Both passenger vehicle and commercial motor vehicle operators or capable of causing deadly crashes as a result of reckless driving, but accidents involving heavy trucks are often more severe or deadly because of the vehicle’s size and weight. Moreover, professional drivers are held to a higher federal standard when operating their vehicles because of this and must remain vigilant on the roads. Passenger vehicle drivers should avoid reckless behavior, provide large trucks with ample space on the road, and watch nearby heavy trucks closely for signs of dangerous driving practices.
Injured After a Truck Wreck? Craig, Kelley & Faultless Can Help
Attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless are prepared and have the experience to help victims and their loved ones involved in commercial vehicle wrecks through every aspect of their case. Both attorneys David W. Craig and Scott A. Faultless are board-certified in truck accident law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA), accredited by the American Bar Association. The firm also has a rapid response team that works with investigators, reconstructionists and mechanics who immediately collect evidence as soon as the firm is hired. Additionally, two of the firm’s litigation paralegals are board-certified in truck accident law by the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys. As David has said, “We don’t just handle truck accident cases. We specialize in these cases.”
Their team-centered approach puts client needs at the forefront, and several attorneys will work on your case to achieve the best possible outcome.
Reach out for a free case consultation today at (888) 253-5198 or online.
David W. Craig is board-certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, accredited by the American Bar Association in Truck Accident Law. He sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (which requires the board certification in truck accident law). He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families and It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney, both written to help people navigate what comes next after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.
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