PSC to Participate in Brake Safety Week

The Public Service Commission of West Virginia’s Transportation Enforcement Officers will conduct focused commercial motor vehicle safety inspections with special emphasis on brake condition as part of Brake Safety Week, September 6-12, 2015.
Brake Safety Week is part of the Operation Airbrake program sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). During the week-long brake safety campaign, the Commission’s Transportation Enforcement Officers will conduct brake system inspections on trucks and buses traveling the public roadways of West Virginia in order to identify out-of-adjustment brakes and brake-system violations.
During last year’s Brake Safety Week, Officers conducted 446 inspections, resulting in 42 vehicles being taken out of service for brake-related violations. An additional 33 vehicles were pulled out of service for other violations detected during the inspections.
Officers will conduct brake-focused safety inspections on commercial motor vehicles at all open weigh stations during Brake Safety Week. The weigh station on Interstate 79 in Fairmont will be manned for double shifts during this event.
“Brake Safety Week gives our Officers an opportunity to interact with the drivers of commercial motor vehicles to emphasize the important role that brake safety plays in keeping West Virginia’s highways safe for everyone,” said Robert Blankenship, Director of the Transportation Enforcement Division. “Our ultimate objective is to eliminate fatalities on our state’s highways, and improved brake safety is a key element in achieving that goal.”