WASHINGTON, D.C. --- Through Sept.19, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) will conduct Brake Safety Week across North America.

Throughout the week, CVSA-certified inspectors and industry partners will conduct enforcement and educational activities emphasizing the importance of proper commercial vehicle brake inspection, maintenance and operation.

"We continue to see brakes as the most significant problem in the enforcement data, representing more than half of all out-of-service violations," said CVSA Executive Director Stephen F. Campbell. "Brake Safety Week -- part of CVSA's Operation Air Brake Campaign -- puts a spotlight on this issue and emphasizes both enforcement and education activities that attempt to improve knowledge and regulatory compliance, and ultimately to reduce crashes."

Since its inception, the Operation Air Brake Campaign has resulted in more than 2.2 million commercial vehicle brakes inspected. The program continues to have a strong focus on brake adjustment. Of the brakes inspected, 8.9 percent of those equipped with manual brake adjusters were placed out-of-service and 3.9 percent of self-adjusting brake adjusters were placed out-of-service. A total of 17.1 percent of all vehicles inspected were placed out-of-service for a brake-related defect.

During Brake Safety Week, drivers, technicians and others will receive educational and other helpful information, such as the CVSA brochure "Air Brake Adjustment -- Why is it so Important?" as well as CVSA's "Spot Check" brake adjustment indicators that drivers can install to help measure whether their brakes are in proper adjustment.

CVSA is an international not-for-profit organization comprising local, state, provincial, territorial and federal motor carrier safety officials and industry representatives from North America.