Beginning Aug. 27 and running through Sept. 2, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) will be inspecting heavy-duty vehicles throughout the country for bad brakes during its Brake Safety Week.

CVSA will conduct a variety of enforcement and educational activities emphasizing the importance of proper commercial vehicle brake inspection, maintenance and operation. “Approximately three million roadside inspections are conducted annually throughout North America, and by far brakes make up the largest percentage of out of service violations cited during these inspections,” said CVSA’s Executive Director Stephen F. Campbell. “In order to encourage that more attention is being paid to this problem, Brake Safety Week focuses on both enforcement and education activities designed to enhance the safe operation of commercial vehicles.”
Drivers will receive educational and other helpful information, such as the CVSA brochure “Have You Checked Your Brakes Today?”, as well as CVSA’s “Spot Check” brake adjustment indicators drivers can install to help measure if their brakes are in proper adjustment.
Brakes enable the vehicle to stop and are vital to its safe operation. They are complicated and contain many parts, all of which need constant inspection and attention to ensure proper operation and performance. There is much evidence that points to brakes continuing to be a significant safety concern.
• Results from a number of National Transportation Safety Board investigations into high-profile commercial vehicle crashes have revealed problems associated with brake operation, inspection and/or maintenance.
• Results from the recent Large Truck Crash Causation Study, sponsored by the United States Department of Transportation, indicated that brake problems were present at the time of the crash in 29.4 percent of the cases.
• Brakes comprised the largest percentage, 56.6 percent, of Out of Service Violations (OOSV) cited in roadside inspections conducted during Roadcheck 2006.
• Nearly nine percent of all brakes equipped with manual slack adjusters and four percent of all brakes equipped with automatic slack adjusters are placed out of service.