Police officers participating in the statewide effort to "Stop Aggressive Driving” issued 185 citations for speeding violations between Aug. 4 and Aug. 8, according preliminary reports.
The "Stop Aggressive Driving” campaign began in June it will continue through September, state Office of Highway Safety spokeswoman Alison Kirk said.
For the third year in a row, this highway safety initiative is focused on stopping speeding and aggressive drivers and reducing speed-related crashes in the state, Kirk said. Enforcement is being conducted on roadways with statistically identified speed related crash problems.
Since Jan. 1, speed caused 10 percent of the state’s 62 fatal crashes and aggressive driving caused 37 percent of fatal crashes, she said. Aggressive driving behaviors include failure to yield the right of way, improper passing or lane change, speeding, disregard of traffic signals and tailgating.
In addition to the 185 speed citations issued last week, officers also issued the following violations: 3 citations for disregard of traffic signals, 1 improper lane change, 8 citations for seat belt violations, 1 citation for child restraint violation and 87 other traffic violations.
Delaware police agencies participating in the 2010 Stop Aggressive Driving campaign include the Delaware State Police, New Castle County Police, Camden Police, Dover Police, Georgetown Police, Laurel Police, Millsboro Police, Newark Police, Seaford Police, Smyrna Police and Milford Police.
The public is encouraged to take an active role in this effort by calling 911 to report aggressive drivers. If a driver calls to report an aggressive driver they should be prepared to tell the operator, if possible, what violation or behavior the driver is exhibiting, the license plate number of the violator, color and make of the car, roadway or location where the incident happened and if the driver is male or female.
The Office of Highway Safety and police officers instruct motorists to not to try to keep up violators because it may put them in danger.
For more information about the “Stop Aggressive Driving” campaign and OHS’s other safety initiatives, please visit www.ohs.delaware.gov and follow our updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe.
