U.S. joins Mexico, Canada For Police Checkpoints

Port Clinton News Herald
Posted : 2007-06-05

Focusing on commercial vehicle safety and homeland security issues, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is participating in Roadcheck 2007 -- 72 hours of continuous commercial vehicle inspections throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The effort starts today and runs through Thursday.

A primary emphasis of Roadcheck 2007 is to promote both safety and security on North American highways through the inspection of commercial vehicles and drivers. Troopers and motor carrier enforcement inspectors will be on the job checking vehicles and their drivers. In addition to at least 20 inspection sites along major Ohio highways, roving patrols will inspect vehicles and drivers traveling other highways.

Roadcheck 2007 also will encourage seat belt compliance by commercial vehicle drivers. According to recent studies, only about 54 percent of commercial vehicle drivers comply with the federal law requiring them to wear a seat belt.

"Although certified safety inspectors perform this work every day on Ohio roads, Roadcheck 2007 places a special emphasis on commercial vehicle and driver safety issues aimed at saving lives on Ohio highways," said Col. Richard H. Collins, patrol superintendent. "In addition to ensuring commercial vehicles and other vehicles continue to share the roads safely, through Roadcheck 2007 we will also continue to share the roads safely, through Roadcheck 2007 we will also continue our focus on the importance of continuing security efforts that have been in place since Sept. 11, 2001, to make Ohio highways safer and more secure for everyone."

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance sponsors the annual checks, with participation by local law enforcement agencies, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration, and the secretariat of Communications and Transportation.

During last year's Roadcheck in Ohio, troopers and motor carrier enforcement inspectors conducted 2,306 inspections and issued 4,548 safety violations. From those inspections, 600 vehicles and 160 drivers were placed out of service for various violations.