The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced Aug. 23-29 as this year’s Brake Safety Week, a seven-day focused inspection and enforcement initiative designed to improve safety by ensuring commercial motor vehicles on our roadways are operating with properly maintained and functioning braking systems.
Throughout that week, trained and certified inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will conduct routine commercial motor vehicle inspections with a focus on brake systems and components. Vehicles with brake-related out-of-service violations, or any other out-of-service violations, will be removed from roadways until those violations are corrected.
In addition, inspectors will focus on drums and rotors, the emphasis for this year’s brake-safety initiative. Brake drum and rotor issues may affect a vehicle’s brake efficiency. Broken pieces of drums and rotors may become dislodged from the vehicle en route and damage other vehicles or result in injuries or fatalities to the motoring public.
During Brake Safety Week, inspectors will report data to CVSA about vehicle inspections and brake-related violations. CVSA will collect and analyze all submitted brake-related data and release the results later this year. By dedicating focused resources and attention to brake safety, CVSA aims to reduce violations, improve compliance and make roadways safer for all users.
In addition to inspections, Brake Safety Week also emphasizes education and awareness. Inspectors and officials will engage with drivers, motor carriers and mechanics to highlight the role that proactive vehicle maintenance plays in reducing crashes and saving lives.
Motor carriers and drivers are encouraged to perform thorough pre- and post-trip inspections and ensure all brake components are in proper working condition before operating their vehicles. Brake Safey Week serves as an important reminder that safety is a shared responsibility among drivers, motor carriers, inspectors and the broader transportation community.
Brake Safety Week aims to improve commercial motor vehicle brake safety throughout North America. The goal is to eliminate roadway crashes by conducting roadside inspections and educating drivers, mechanics, large- and small-fleet motor carriers, owner-operators, and others on the importance of proper brake inspection, maintenance and operation.
CVSA is a nonprofit organization composed of local, state, provincial, territorial and federal commercial motor vehicle safety officials and industry representatives in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. The Alliance aims to prevent commercial motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities and believes that collaboration between government and industry improves road safety and saves lives. Its mission is to improve commercial motor vehicle safety and enforcement by providing guidance, education and advocacy for enforcement and industry across North America.