This year’s annual Brake Safety Week is upon us. The safety-conscious program that comes as part of the CVSA’s Operation Airbrake Program is currently taking place all over the country until September 21st.
This week will see road inspectors focusing on stopping systems. Since brake-related issues represent half of all out-of-service (OSS) violations of commercial motor vehicles on the road Brake hoses and tubing must be properly attached, undamaged, leak-free and flexible.
In case the vehicle is found to have serious brake violations, then it will be placed out-of-service until repairs are made. Last year, Brake Safety Week saw inspectors place nearly 5,000 commercial OSS.
Brake Safety Week Looks to Improve the Safety of Our Roads
When brake systems that are not properly installed and maintained, they may reduce the braking capacity and increase the stopping distance in trucks and buses. Hence, these potential brake system failures represent a serious risk to all on the road.
Operation Airbrake is a program oriented to improve commercial vehicle brake safety all throughout North America. It counts with the collaboration of the US, Canada, and Mexico. The goal is to significantly reduce the cases of highway crashes caused by braking systems problems on commercial motor vehicles.
This kind of program has been used before with successful results in other areas of traffic concerns, like the usage of the seat belt.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration noted that the top brake-related violations include issues with the automatic brake, the hose or tubing of the vehicle and the ABS.
Don’t forget to read this official Check List to be ready for any brake inspection.
What about you? Are you ready to take on this Brake Safety Week? We’d love to know what you think about this annual event. Leave us a comment about what you think about brake safety!