CHP Issues "Flood" Of Citations During Crackdown

The California Highway Patrol's unprecedented statewide crackdown on unsafe trucks resulted in more than 3,000 truck citations Thursday.

In a weekend press release, titled "CHP Issues Flood of Truck Citations," the CHP reported that it issued 3,076 truck citations during its day-long "Road Share 2001" commercial vehicle sweep.
The most frequent violation was speeding, with 1,072 citations. Statewide, 1,500 officers participated in the sweep in the patrol's eight divisions. Participants included desk officers, and officers who patrolled back roads in pickups to apprehend drivers who evade truck weigh stations. All of the state's approximately three dozen weigh stations were closed to allow the CHP officers and safety inspectors to participate in the enforcement campaign.
Trucks weren't the only vehicles targeted, although officers issued far fewer citations for passenger vehicles found to be driving unsafely around trucks - only 203.
"Truckers aren't the only drivers at fault," said CHP Commissioner D.O. "Spike" Helmick. "We're educating passenger vehicle drivers that they need to give these 80,000-pound trucks plenty of room."
Unannounced sweeps are slated to continue twice a week throughout the summer.
The crackdown was prompted by an increase in the number of truck crashes in the state, with the number of fatal crashes rising 8% from 1999 to 2000, according to the CHP.