Truck Safety in North Carolina: Effectiveness of NCDMV Enforcement Efforts in FY99

008088772000PDFResearch PaperAdjudicationCommercial driversPublic information programsRoadsideTailgatingFreight TransportationHighwaysLawSafety and Human FactorsSecurity and EmergenciesVehicles and EquipmentI90: VehiclesNorth CarolinaUnited StatesUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel HillHughes, R.G.University of North Carolina (System). Highway Safety Research CenterUS Transportation CollectionIn 1998, North Carolina ranked fourth in the nation in terms of the number of truck-involved fatal crashes. As part of an effort to reduce fatal truck-involved crashes, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV), working with other law enforcement agencies in the State, increased commercial motor vehicle (CMV) enforcement activity in 21 North Carolina counties identified by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) as having the most truck-involved crashes. Increased CMV enforcement consisted of: a major increase in the number of roadside inspections; an increase in the number of vehicles and drivers placed out of service as a result of those inspections; an increase in the number of citations written for serious commercial driver license (CDL) violations (e.g., traveling in excess of 15 mph over the posted limit, reckless driving, erratic lane changes, following too closely, etc.); an increase in the number of public education efforts (e.g., 'No-Zone'); and development of adjudication tracking and judicial outreach program. In addition, the DMV Enforcement section, in conjunction with the North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program (GHSP), enlisted the analytic and program evaluation support of the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center. The product of these combined and coordinated efforts was 17.7% reduction in the number of fatal truck-involved crashes from FY98 to FY99 in the 21 county area of increased enforcement attention. Statewide, there was a 48% increase in the number of roadside inspections conducted in FY99 (129% increase in the 21 county area).78