NORTH AMERICA — The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance released results Monday from Operation Safe Driver Week 2026, held July 12-18 across 36 U.S. states, seven Canadian provinces, and Mexico. Law enforcement interacted with 8,083 drivers during the week, issuing a combined 3,968 warnings and 2,604 citations to both commercial motor vehicle and passenger vehicle drivers.
This year’s focus was reckless, careless, and dangerous driving. Commercial vehicle drivers received 3,409 warnings and 1,956 citations total. Passenger vehicle drivers received 559 warnings and 648 citations.
Top Violations
Speeding was the most frequently cited violation of the week. Commercial vehicle drivers received 772 warnings and 342 citations for speed violations. Passenger vehicle drivers received 231 warnings and 349 citations. Speeding contributed to 11,288 traffic deaths in the U.S. in 2024 — 29% of all traffic fatalities that year.
Seat belt non-compliance was another leading violation. Commercial vehicle drivers received 267 warnings and 270 citations. Passenger vehicle drivers received 25 warnings and 41 citations.
Texting or handheld device use resulted in 106 warnings and 136 citations for commercial vehicle drivers and 29 warnings and 45 citations for passenger vehicle drivers. Distracted driving killed 3,208 people in the U.S. in 2024.
Drug and alcohol impairment resulted in 12 warnings and 22 citations for commercial vehicle drivers and 5 warnings and 4 citations for passenger vehicle drivers.
Other Notable Violations
Failure to obey a traffic control device was the most cited of the remaining violations, with 652 CMV warnings and 319 CMV citations issued — the highest single-category CMV citation count outside of speeding. Following too closely generated 48 CMV warnings and 23 citations. Improper lane changes resulted in 76 CMV warnings and 23 citations. Six commercial vehicle drivers were cited for operating while ill or fatigued and 10 for using or equipping a CMV with a radar or laser detector.
Beyond the Ticket
More than 2,880 driver contacts — over a third of the week’s total — resulted in no citation or warning, with officers using the stop as a direct conversation about safe driving. CVSA distributed 64,450 postcards to industry and enforcement members and partnered with the Paramount/CBS network on a public awareness campaign that generated 16.4 million digital impressions.
Participating agencies also reported 974 human trafficking awareness or educational activities during the week as part of CVSA’s Human Trafficking Prevention Program.
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