(The Center Square) – More than 1,200 vehicles and 700 drivers were taken out of service, including some in North Carolina, during Operation SafeDRIVE conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said “targeted enforcement actions along major freight corridors and other high-risk locations” led to “nearly 2,000 unqualified truckers and vehicles being removed from American roads.”
“This operation was about safety,” said Administrator Derek Barrs. “When drivers ignore the rules, operate without proper qualifications, or get behind the wheel impaired, they put all of our lives at risk. Operation SafeDRIVE demonstrates the value of focused enforcement and strong partnerships in removing these drivers and vehicles from our roads.”
North Carolina’s State Highway Patrol was a partner in the effort. The operation was designed for high visibility, multiple states, and an education effort “focused on reducing dangerous driving behaviors, ensuring drivers are properly qualified, and addressing unsafe drivers and vehicles on the nation’s roadways.”
Specific highways in the state were not named. Interstate 95, the main corridor connecting Maine and Florida, is regularly a targeted area of any enhanced road programs by law enforcement.
More than 8,200 inspections were completed. Fifty-six arrests, including for impaired driving or illegally being in America, were also recorded.
The District of Columbia and highways in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia were also in the Jan. 13-15 operation.
