Washington State was ranked third in the nation for truck safety, just behind Indiana and New Mexico. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) report was ranked on the amount of collisions for commercial motor vehicles (CMV) based on a study by the American Trucking Research Institute (ATRI).
Washington State Patrol (WSP) uses a number of tactics to reduce the amount of CMV collisions. Those tactics include, addressing aggressive driving behavior; using patrol cars, both marked and unmarked; focusing on commercial vehicles as well as automobile drivers; and utilizing a system, which directs enforcement by monitoring crash types, behaviors, and the location in regards to the collision.
WSP continues to make the prevention of commercial truck accidents its main priority. They are constantly looking at the behaviors that cause accidents in order to prevent those issues from reoccurring. Collisions involving trucks have a number of causal behaviors. The top five causes are speeding, lack of yielding, closely following the vehicle ahead, driver negligence, and failure to stay in the lane. The causes of collisions are reported bi-monthly.
Commercial Vehicle Division (CVD) works closely with many other parties including, Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission, Washington State Department of Transportation, and partners from local law enforcement agencies. These partnerships help support safety on the roadways.