CVSA brings brake safety awareness to North American roads

TORONTO — Beginning this upcoming weekend, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), in partnership with Canadian and U.S. enforcement officials, will begin its annual commercial vehicle brake safety campaign.

The North America-wide Brake Safety Week, conducted between Aug. 27 through Sept. 2, dispatches CVSA-certified inspectors to conduct a variety of enforcement and educational activities emphasizing the importance of proper commercial vehicle brake inspection, maintenance, and operation.

CVSA initiated Brake Safety Week in 2005 as part of its Operation Air Brake Campaign.

“Approximately three million roadside inspections are conducted annually throughout North America, and by far brakes make up the largest percentage of Out-of-Service violations cited during these inspections,” said CVSA’s Executive Director Stephen F. Campbell.

Drivers will receive educational and other helpful information, such as the CVSA brochure “Have You Checked Your Brakes Today?” as well as CVSA’s “Spot Check” brake adjustment indicators drivers can install to help measure if their brakes are in proper adjustment.

Brakes enable the vehicle to stop and are vital to its safe operation. They are complicated and contain many parts, all of which need constant inspection and attention to ensure proper operation and performance. There is much evidence that points to brakes continuing to be a significant safety concern, CVSA says.

Results from the recent Large Truck Crash Causation Study, sponsored by the United States Department of Transportation, indicated that brake problems were present at the time of the crash in 29.4 percent of the cases. Also, brakes comprised the largest percentage, 56.6 percent, of Out-of-Service Violations (OOSV) cited in roadside inspections conducted during Roadcheck 2006.

Nearly nine percent of all brakes equipped with manual slack adjusters and four percent of all brakes equipped with automatic slack adjusters are placed out of service.