Police officers participating in Delaware’s “Stop Aggressive Driving” campaign issued 228 additional speeding citations in the statewide effort’s seventh week of operation.
This highway safety initiative, which began June 2, is focused on stopping speeding drivers and reducing speed related crashes in the state, state Office of Highway Safety spokeswoman Alison Kirk said. Police are also on the lookout for other types of aggressive driving.
In the third year of the “Stop Aggressive Driving” campaign, it appears speeding citations are declining, Kirk said. However, the percentage of fatal crashes related to aggressive driving has increased.
There have been 1,955 speeding citations for the 2010 campaign, which began in June, skipped July and started back up in August, Kirk said.
In 2009, the entire campaign netted 6,322 speeding citations, she said. But police issued these citations during four months - July, August, September and October.
In 2008, police cited 2,737 people for speeding during three months (July, September and October), Kirk said.
In addition to speeding, police have also been on the lookout for other aggressive driving traits, she said. Aggressive driving includes improper passing, tailgating, and running red lights or stop signs. These behaviors were listed as a contributing factor in 42 percent of the state’s 64 fatal accidents since Jan. 1, including the two fatal crashes that killed four people on Aug. 27 and Aug. 29, Kirk said.
In comparison, 28 percent of the 102 fatal crashes that occurred in 2009 had aggressive driving listed as contributing factors, she said.
Police can charge driver with an aggressive driving violation if he commits three specified traffic offenses in a single incident, including speeding, failing to yield the right of way, making an unsafe lane change and passing on the shoulder, etc.
This year, 10 people have been cited for aggressive driving compared to 35 in 2009 and 26 in 2008, Kirk said.
“Comparing numbers and looking at previous years, there’s definitely been an impact on getting people to slow down and obey the speed limit,” Kirk said. “However, when you look at the contributing factors for fatal crashes, speeding and aggressive driving overall has gone up from ‘09 compared to this year.”
