Front Page

Police Departments Across Southeast Pennsylvania to Target Aggressive Drivers During Statewide Mobilization

new hope free pressPolice departments representing 57 municipalities across southeast Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State Police will conduct aggressive-driving enforcement activities as part of a statewide mobilization that runs through Nov. 22, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced Tuesday.

Police from Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties will target motorists exhibiting aggressive-driving behaviors such as running red lights, speeding and tailgating, according to PennDOT. Motorists displaying other unsafe behaviors, like distracted driving, or violating Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law, will also be cited, they said.

“Participating agencies will use traffic enforcement zones, saturation patrols, speed enforcement details, corridor enforcement, work zone enforcement and multi-jurisdictional patrol strategies to identify and cite aggressive drivers,” PennDOT explained.

Since the project was launched in 2006, nearly 600 roadways have been targeted with additional enforcement and education, which is part of the Pennsylvania Aggressive Driving Enforcement and Education Project, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

According to PennDOT data, there were 1,833 crashes and 26 fatalities in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties during 2015 in which aggressive driving was a factor.

If you encounter an aggressive driver, PennDOT offers these tips:

  • Get out of their way and don’t challenge them;
  • Stay relaxed, avoid eye contact and ignore rude gestures; and
  • Don’t block the passing lane if you are driving slower than most of the traffic.

To learn more about aggressive driving and other PennDOT safety initiatives, visit www.penndot.gov/safety.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles online for free 24 hours a day, including traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 770 traffic cameras.

Visit the PennDOT website for more info, or @511PAPhilly on Twitter or @pennsylvaniadepartmentoftransportation on Facebook.

About the author

Staff

4 Comments

  • Yesss! Please start pulling over tailgaters! I have been rear ended 3 times when I had to slow down/stop (deer crossing the road, approaching a red light, stop and go traffic). I like off route 32 and and at least once a week I’ll have someone tailing me so close that I can’t see their headlights (and I am always at least going the speed limit). I pull off and wave them by if I can – last time I pulled off let a lady pass she pulled up next to me and started screaming”what’s your problem b****!!” And so on. I just wanted to let her pass because tailgating is dangerous and I’m not willing to be injured because of her crappy driving. Ugh. You woulda thought she would have been glad to pass me- people tailgate because they want to drive faster right?! Bizarre . Yesss pull over the tailgaters!!!!

  • They could try setting speed limits to the 85th percentile free-flowing traffic speed, using longer yellow lights, and stop signs where needed only. PennDOT is CAUSING crashes with what we do now.

    Check out the National Motorists Association.

  • We the people who live on North Main St. New Hope, are at a loss to stop the speeding in our 25 MPH. zone. N.Main, is State Rd. 32 and the New Hope police are limited in enforcing it. 40-50 MPH is the norm between 4-7 P.M. State Police, please enforce it before a child or dog is killed. Please prove me wrong if you don’t believe me. Thank you, I hope.

Leave a Comment