Washington State Patrol troopers are teaming up with truck drivers this week to crack down on motorists who drive unsafely around trucks in King County.
Troopers will ride along in trucks, looking for motorists who are speeding, cutting off or driving aggressively around trucks. Once troopers spot unsafe drivers, they will radio ahead to other officers who will then stop the motorist.
“We continue to see passenger car drivers as the main cause of most truck involved collisions,” said Captain Jason Berry, Commercial Vehicle Division commander. “People need to understand they have to give these big trucks plenty of space; when there is a car vs. truck collision, there’s a good chance the people in the car will be injured,” he said.
The week-long campaign, Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT), began in September 2012 and will run through May 2013.
In the first week, WSP troopers pulled over 485 drivers and issued 280 tickets. Troopers also conducted 18 Commercial Motor Vehicle inspections. In December 2012, WSP troopers stopped 502 drivers; 286 car drivers and 23 Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers received tickets for driving aggressively around other big trucks.
Most of the collisions involving trucks that occur in King County happen on the interstate and state routes. Officers will focus their efforts on I-5 from Seattle to Federal Way, I-90 from Seattle to North Bend, I-405 from Bellevue to Tukwila, SR-167 from SR-18 to I-405, and SR-18 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the times most collisions occur. Remaining enforcement dates are March 11-15, 2013, and May 20 – 24, 2013.
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.