Pocono News Section

Police Honored for Aggressive Driving Crackdown

Police Honored for Aggressive Driving Crackdown - Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at 04:23AM EST

Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Tuesday June 01 2010
All around the area, police are targeting aggressive driving habits that can turn local roadways into complete nightmares.

Last week we reported that state police would be spending most of the Memorial Day weekend patrolling highways for aggressive drivers.

That enforcement is also being conducted on the local level.

Several municipal police officers, including Floyd McDonald, of Troy, were honored for their efforts over the past year on Tuesday.

McDonald said, "The importance is pretty profound. We've found that with this type of aggressive enforcement, we've had a reduction of fatal or nasty crashes in the borough."

Aggressive driving can include any combination of traffic violations including speeding, tailgating, running stop lights or signs, and making improper turns, among others.

Officers we spoke with say aggressive driving ranks right up there with drunk driving as one of the biggest problems they face when patrolling local highways.

PennDOT Safety Press Officer Michael Hess confirmed, "Aggressive driving is actually one of the top causes of our crashes and injuries and deaths on the roadways."

Police say handing out citations shows the violator they're serious about curbing aggressive driving, but it also serves another purpose.

Mcdonald noted, "It's slowing other people down. It's making other people be more aware of their driving. And I think that's just as important as a citation."

Tuesday's award ceremony is part of PennDOT's "Drive Safe PA" initiative.

PennDOT officials say it all boils down to one simple message.

Hess explained, "We can't be so busy that we're not safe on the roadways."

More than 400 aggressive driving citations have been handed out in Bradford and Lycoming counties in the first quarter of 2010 alone.