Fayetteville Authorities Put the Brakes on Unsafe Truck Drivers

Police are looking for speeders in big trucks and not cars.

Division of Motor Vehiclesofficers are pulling over unsafe 18 wheelers. They are trying to stop the increase in commercial vehicle accidents on Fayetteville streets.

"If we catch them before accidents happen, that means we're getting unsafe and unqualified drivers off the highway," said Sgt. Mike Dunn.

Just about every other truck they stopped had a violation of some kind.

Violations including carrying a load without a permit, and unlicensed drivers concern motorists who share the road.

Motorists and truck driver Vince Melvin want safety on the highways. He thinks the crackdown is needed for drivers who lose their focus.

"Just rush, rush, rush. Get the job done as fast as they can. They aren't thinking about safety. They can cause an accident and hurt someone," said Melvin.

Preventing that kind of tragedy is what this is all about.

As a result of Friday's effort, four trucks and two drivers were taken off the road. Thirty-eight traffic tickets were issued as well as 38 inspection violations.

In 1997, more than 5,000 people across the country died in collisions with large trucks.

That same year, large trucks accounted for just 3 percent of all registered vehicles, but 13 percent of all the traffic fatalities in 1997 involved large trucks.

About 78 percent of the time, it is the driver in the other vehicle that is killed in the collision.