The auto industry has made great strides in developing safer vehicles that are less likely at becoming involved in accidents and better at protecting occupants. However, equipment has only ever been one piece of the auto safety puzzle. Without skilled drivers, none of these components can be used to their fullest potential.
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, a developer and manufacturer of safety braking system technologies, recently supported the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver, which took place on Oct. 18 24. The CVSA worked with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to promote traffic law and better driver education.
Even though vehicles are becoming safer, the number of drivers on the road is increasing, which raises the chances of accidents occurring. For instance, the FMCSA estimates that the number of trucks and buses in the U.S. increased by 97 percent between 1975 and 2013.
"Striving to improve highway safety goes beyond providing fleets and owner-operators with leading-edge safety and braking technologies," Fred Andersky, Bendix director of government and industry affairs, recently told The Brake Report. "The best commercial vehicle safety systems on the road are no substitute for well-trained, skilled, and alert drivers practicing safe driving habits behind the wheel."