Laurel PD making sure drivers travel safely around commercial vehicles – 47abc

LAUREL, Del. – Laurel Police are working to make sure drivers are traveling safely around commercial vehicles.

Laurel Police Department says to drive normally and give truck drivers the space that they need. “Keep your distance if you’re following behind a commercial vehicle you can’t – most of the time see past it, so you don’t know what’s going on in front of it,” said Corporal Kevin Lieber, with the Laurel Police Department.

Corporal Kevin Lieber says commercial vehicle safety is a top priority. The goal is to reduce collisions, something more common than you may think. “Like 9 out of 10 times the commercial vehicle was not at fault at all for the crash, it causes serious injuries and stuff because of the weight that’s moving around and they can’t slow down, but the passenger car and other personal vehicles around them,” said Corporal. Lieber.

If you’re on the road, a simple lane change trying to get away from the truck could be a violation. “It was the following too close to the first, I know you were trying to pass it. If something happens in front of him, what are you going to do? Cut left in front of the other one and then cut back over?” said Corporal. Lieber.

A move like this would be harmful because the truck might not see you and the response time for a truck driver is not the same as a passenger car. “These are professional drivers, driving big vehicles. They can’t slow down as fast, they can’t turn as fast, so if something unexpected happens around them like an unsafe lane change, someone speeding or passing that they’re not expecting, it’s a lot harder for them to avoid that collision,” said Corporal Lieber.

Corporal Lieber says one wrong move on the road like this could be life or death. “The number one goal is safety. For the drivers on the road, we’re trying to reduce collisions, a collision between a commercial vehicle and any other vehicle is much more likely to result in God forbid a fatal situation or serious injuries,” said Corporal Lieber.

With this grant funding from the Office of Highway Safety Laurel Police Department says these traffic stops are more than a ticket. Rather the goal is that the community learns something about road safety. “The majority is education. I’m out here to meet some people, talk to them about commercial vehicles, and maybe shed some light on something they haven’t thought about before,” said Corporal Lieber.

The lowest moving violation would be $125.00.

Wednesday Corporal Lieber made 10 enforcement stops, resulting in 3 citations and 7 warnings. One driver was found to have no license or insurance with an active court warrant.

This is the first time Delaware law enforcement has been offered this federal grant.