The first two months of Gov. M. Jodi Rell's crackdown on unsafe truckers has yielded 14,777 traffic citations that could bring fines of $1.8 million - with tickets issued for following too closely, speeding, making unsafe lane changes and other violations.
"We continue to send a clear message to truck operators: Connecticut does not tolerate those who speed, make unsafe lane changes or tailgate. People in Connecticut are fed up," Rell said Thursday, after Rt. 8 was partially closed in Litchfield for four hours after the latest tractor-trailer accident.
The crackdown by 500 state troopers and the Department of Motor Vehicles' truck squad began Aug. 2 after a rash of truck crashes caused injuries, deaths and traffic nightmares. "In most cases, these accidents are related to drivers losing control of their rigs - usually because they were driving in an unsafe way," Rell said.