On Wednesday, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Ann Ferro joined state and local officials at a commercial bus checkpoint to observe the safety inspection of motorcoaches, tour buses and other commercial passenger vehicles.

The Washington, D.C. checkpoint was part of FMCSA's annual national Passenger Carrier Strike Force, during which federal, state and local police agencies conduct thousands of motorcoach, charter bus and other passenger carrier inspections at popular travel destinations across the U.S. The sweep runs from August 23 to September 4 and is taking place in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.

"By taking the Passenger Carrier Strike Force to some of the nation's busiest travel destinations, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will be able to reach a greater number of carriers and remove unsafe vehicles and drivers from the road," said Ferro. "This safety initiative is a crucial part of our efforts to prevent crashes and save lives."

In addition to these strike force sweeps, FMCSA performs roadside safety inspections of commercial buses on a daily basis throughout the year. In 2009 alone, FMCSA and its law enforcement partners inspected more than 130,000 commercial buses, which led FMCSA to place 4.3 percent of bus drivers and 7.6 percent of buses out-of-service for violations ranging from significant vehicle deficiencies to hours-of-service non-compliance.

FMCSA also performs strike force sweeps of household goods movers and drug and alcohol compliance throughout the year.

FMCSA strongly encourages travelers considering passenger carrier transportation to visit the agency's website and review a carrier's safety records, here.