Operation Road Watch
North Carolina State Highway Patrol's Crackdown on Commercial Motor Vehicle Violations

RALEIGH – Beginning this morning, the Highway Patrol will conduct Operation Road Watch to crackdown on motor carrier safety violations on North Carolina highways. Operation Road Watch will be conducted on I-95 and I-40 in Johnston County for the next two days and will primarily focus on conducting safety inspections on motor carrier vehicles.

“The Highway Patrol is responding to the increase of big truck crashes on our highways,” said Col. Randy Glover, Commander of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. “We are going to make the highways as safe as possible. I have instructed our Troopers to aggressively crackdown on commercial motor vehicle violations.”

In 2008, Troopers investigated 5,090 of the 10,629 crashes involving motor carrier vehicles statewide. Last year 160 people were killed statewide and 4,990 injured in crashes involving motor carrier vehicles. Interstates 95 and 40 are busy highways and have a high volume of commercial motor vehicle traffic.

Commercial motor vehicle crashes also contribute significantly to traffic congestion, an increasing problem on the state's highways. The highway patrol's motor carrier enforcement section, along with its local partners, has an obligation to both improve commercial motor vehicle safety as well as the efficiency of commercial vehicle operations. Law enforcement officials believe their efforts will result in fewer serious collisions between motorists and commercial motor vehicles, as well as the significant congestion that such collisions can cause.

“The Highway Patrol is determined to reduce both fatal and non-fatal traffic collisions involving big trucks on North Carolina highways,” said Reuben Young, Secretary of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. “Trucks exceeding weight regulations or in violation of federal safety regulations compromise the safety of our highways.”

Motorists may report dangerous driving to the Highway Patrol by dialing *HP on their cellular phones.