OTTAWA — Highway enforcement agencies have issued a warning to drivers who have a habit of speeding, tailgating or driving aggressively: We’re cracking down.

Aggressive car and truck drivers across North America will be targeted the week of October 19-25 in a safety campaign dubbed "Operation Safe Driver."

The event — organized by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Transport Canada in partnership with state, provincial and local law enforcement — aims to increase vehicle traffic enforcement; safety belt enforcement; driver roadside inspections; driver regulatory compliance; implementation of commercial driver educational and awareness programs to the motor carrier population; and, awareness to the motoring public about safe operations around commercial motor vehicles.

"Operation Safe Driver will have a razor sharp focus on targeting and taking aggressive enforcement action for poor decisions made by drivers of commercial vehicles and those 4-wheelers operating unsafely around them," said Stephen F. Campbell, executive director of the CVSA. "Far too many deaths are occurring, and it is unacceptable to stand by and watch the carnage continue."

Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death worldwide among young people aged 10-24 years. Each year nearly 400,000 people under 25 die on the world’s roads – on average more than 1,000 a day.

Inattention, insufficient awareness of traffic conditions and unsafe maneuvers by drivers are far and away the leading causes of fatal crashes between passenger cars and commercial vehicles, says John H. Hill, FMCSA administrator.