South Central Pennsylvania’s law enforcement agencies have joined the Pennsylvania State Police and municipal agencies statewide in conducting targeted aggressive driving enforcement from July 6 through August 28.
41 local agencies came in contact with 3,233 vehicles total during this time period, 3,085 of these stops were related to aggressive driving and the drivers received citations. 2,093 of the stops resulted in the driver receiving speeding violation citations.
Speeding remains the most common aggressive driving-related behavior observed by law enforcement officials. Speeding is also a main factor in many car accidents.
Seven drivers were arrested for impaired driving; five were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol only; one person was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs, and one person was arrested for driving under the influence of both alcohol and drugs.
The officers also cited people for not wearing seatbelts or not following child passenger safety laws. 104 citations were issued; 78 of these citations were issued to unbuckled drivers 18 years of age and over.
The wave of aggressive driving enforcement focused on drivers who were observed speeding, tailgating, and running red lights. The drivers who exhibited other unsafe behaviors such as driving too fast for certain conditions (construction, rain, etc.), texting and driving, or violating Pennsylvania’s Steer Clear Law were also issued citations.
Pennsylvania’s “Steer Clear Law” requires drivers to move over or slow down when they encounter an emergency scene, traffic stop or disabled vehicle. There were four citations issued to drivers who violated the Steer Clear Law during this time.
This enforcement effort was a part of Pennsylvania’s Aggressive Driving Enforcement and Education Project and is partly funded by PennDOT’s investment of federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Visit Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation website to see other projects going on in the state.
Also check out the Pennsylvania Traffic Safety Enforcement Resource Center.