Safe Driver Week 2026: CVSA Reports 2,604 Citations Across North America

Between July 13 and 19, 2026, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) held its “Safe Driver Week” across North America. For one week, law enforcement personnel focused on identifying and penalizing dangerous driving behaviors in order to improve road safety and educate commercial drivers about potential driving risks. The results of the operation were released by the CVSA on Monday, October 5, 2026.

Public safety personnel from the United States, Mexico, and Canada interacted with 8,083 drivers on the roads, according to the CVSA. Of the total inspections, 3,968 warnings and 2,604 citations were issued to commercial motor vehicle (CMV) and passenger vehicle (PV) drivers for unsafe driving, according to CVSA figures.

This year’s initiative involved law enforcement agencies from 36 U.S. states, seven Canadian provinces, and Mexico. Officers issued 3,409 warnings and 1,956 citations to commercial motor vehicle drivers, and 559 warnings and 648 citations to passenger vehicle drivers for various unsafe driving behaviors.

Safe Driver Week: speeding, distracted driving, and aggressive driving

The 2026 “Safe Driver Week” focused on reckless, careless, and dangerous driving, with the goal of improving driver behavior through traffic law enforcement, direct interaction with authorities, and outreach and awareness campaigns.

The CVSA report found that speeding, distracted driving, and aggressive driving are among the leading causes of crashes in North America.

Reckless, careless, and dangerous driving

According to the CVSA results, 83 warnings and 33 citations were issued for reckless, careless, and dangerous driving. Commercial vehicle drivers received 50 warnings and 22 citations, while passenger vehicle drivers received 33 warnings and 11 citations.

These behaviors put all road users at risk and contribute to preventable crashes, injuries, and deaths. In 2025, the U.S. recorded 36,640 traffic fatalities, while Canada recorded 2,000 in 2023 and Mexico recorded 15,979 in 2022.

Speeding

Speeding was once again the most frequently cited unsafe driving behavior, with 1,003 warnings and 691 citations issued for speeding-related violations. Commercial motor vehicle drivers accounted for 772 warnings and 342 citations, while passenger vehicle drivers accounted for 231 warnings and 349 citations.

Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to recognize and react to road hazards and increases the force of impact in the event of a crash. In 2024, 29% of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. involved speeding.

 Failure to wear a seat belt

Officers issued a total of 292 warnings and 311 citations for failure to wear a seat belt during Safe Driver Week. According to CVSA data, commercial motor vehicle drivers received 267 warnings and 270 citations, while passenger vehicle drivers received 25 warnings and 41 citations.

The CVSA stated that seat belts saved approximately 14,955 lives and could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing them, in the U.S. alone in 2017.

 Other violations identified by the CVSA during 2026 Safe Driving Week included:

• Texting and use of mobile devices – 135 warnings and 181 citations.
• Possession, consumption, or impairment by drugs or alcohol – 17 warnings and 26 citations.
• Failure to obey a traffic control device – 676 warnings and 344 citations.

 Outreach and education

“Operation Safe Driver Week” was not focused solely on citations: more than 2,880 interactions with drivers ended without penalties, providing an opportunity to promote safe driving practices.

 The initiative also included 64,450 traffic safety postcards distributed by the CVSA and 12,428 outreach materials in Mexico. In addition, a joint campaign with Paramount/CBS to teach passenger vehicle drivers how to safely share the road with large trucks generated 16.4 million digital impressions.