Top safety officials from the federal government recently told top level commercial vehicle safety enforcement officials that they need to do more to save lives on the highways.

Addressing the first North American Commercial Vehicle Policy Forum, held recently in Arlington, Va., Julie Cirillo, chief safety officer of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said: "Certainly, the basic truck and bus inspection programs must be continued and strengthened; but there must be more emphasis on new programs that focus on training, technology and traffic enforcement."
Cirillo complimented the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and its members for making the inspection programs the success they are today. She encouraged them to do even more to bring the accident rate down, saying, "We will look to CVSA for new and creative ways to accomplish this."
In addition, Michael Jackson, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, told the group, "The DOT is depending heavily on CVSA to help implement the new safety plan at the Mexican border and to help Mexican carriers operate successfully in the United States."
Forum participants from the three countries (Canada, Mexico and the U.S.) said the event had promoted continuity and uniformity in enforcement for enhancing safety on the highways. Stephen Campbell, CVSA's executive director, described the forum as "an extremely useful mode of exchanging ideas and encouraging common solutions for safety problems."
For more information about the North American Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Policy Forum, contact the CVSA headquarters at 301-564-1623.