07072025 Alert Operation Safe Driver Week Set for July 13 – 19

By Sisbro | July 8, 2025 | Comments Off on 07072025 Alert Operation Safe Driver Week Set for July 13 – 19

Mid-west Truckers Assn. Inc. Operation Safe Driver Week Set for July 13-19 With Focus on Speeding. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced July 13-19 as this year's Operation Safe Driver Week, a safe-driving enforcement and outreach initiative aimed at improving driving behaviors through education, traffic enforcement strategies and driver interactions with law enforcement. During Operation Safe Driver Week, law enforcement personnel in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will be on the lookout for commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in unsafe driving behaviors, such as speeding, distracted driving, following too closely, drunk or drugged driving, etc. Drivers engaging in such behaviors will be pulled over by law enforcement personnel and issued a warning or citation. The focus of this year's Operation Safe Driver Week is reckless, careless or dangerous driving. Any person who drives a vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is driving recklessly. Careless/dangerous driving is defined as operating a vehicle without due care and attention or reasonable consideration for other motorists or people on the road. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 42,514 people were killed in traffic crashes in 2022. Transport Canada statistics from 2022 show that there were 1,931 motor vehicle fatalities. And Mexico reported 15,979 road deaths for 2022. CVSAâ€TMs Operation Safe Driver Program aims to address those alarming rates by reducing the number of crashes on our roadways caused by unsafe driving behaviors. Watch for Roadside Mowing. With peak roadside mowing season underway, the Illinois Department of Transportation is reminding the public to slow down, proceed with caution and pay extra attention when encountering equipment and personnel. In keeping with the recent practice of timing operations to preserve and promote pollinator habitat, the heaviest mowing period will continue until Aug. 15. During the summer, IDOT conducts two primary types of mowing. Safety mowing occurs directly adjacent to the road as needed. Maintenance mowing, which lasts for approximately six weeks and starts around July 1, includes areas next to culverts, ditches, traffic control devices and other structures, while following the Illinois Monarch Project Mowing Guidelines for Pollinators, protecting as much habitat and nectar resources as possible. The mowing schedule helps to minimize the impact on the traveling public and encourage pollinator activity, which assists in the reproduction of flowers, fruits and vegetables that are essential to the state's ecosystem and agricultural economy. Reducing the amount of land maintained and growing pollinator habitat also protects the endangered rusty patched bumble bee and the monarch butterfly, the official state insect of Illinois. To view a short video about IDOT's mowing schedules and its work with pollinators, click here or visit IDOT's YouTube channel. In 2020, IDOT joined in the launch of the Illinois Monarch Action Plan as part of the Illinois Monarch Project, a collaborative effort with local and state partners to help ensure the survival and successful migration of monarchs by increasing and protecting habitat. Tall Corn Can Mean Dangerous Intersections. It sure didn't take long, but in many areas of the state corn is well over 7 ft. tall and growing fast! It also means obstructed vision in those rural intersections where the crops are planted close to the roadside. Even if the intersections are marked, be extra careful of "the other guy" who may be unaware of moving traffic. It only takes a split-second to prevent a possible tragedy.