Car crashes involving large trucks are on the rise in our area and the Florida Highway Patrol wants to do something about it. FHP has announced a statewide operation to reduce unsafe driving--especially driving behavior that contributes to wrecks involving semi-trucks and buses.

Florida traffic data shows commercial vehicles were involved in more than 18-thousand crashes causing 365 fatalities. Semi-truck drivers say people in cars don't always look out for their rigs and agree something should be done. Hollice Sell, a semi truck driver based out of Alabama said, "I can't look out for everybody, but I can look out for myself. And I try to do the right thing, but sometimes you just can't."

SGT Bill Martinez, with the Florida Highway Patrol said, "We're trying, along with the Motor Carrier Compliance, the Department of Transportation, to make some effective changes into the crash, crashes that we have. We want to try to prevent some of them, instead of picking up the pieces after there over."

The Florida Department of Transportation will focus in on truck drivers saying sleep deprivation is a growing problem.