State program targets aggressive drivers

MILFORD - A new program to combat aggressive driving kicked off in late March. The “Smooth Operator” program uses a combination of increased enforcement, media, and public education to remind motorists to reduce aggressive driving on our highways. Offenders will face tickets, fines and points for aggressive driving behavior. Aggressive driving is defined as a combination of unsafe and unlawful driving actions, which demonstrate a conscious and willful disregard for safety. Aggressive driving includes such offenses as tailgating, unsafe lane changes, speeding, running red lights and stop signs, following too closely, improper passing and failing to yield the right of way. According to PennDOT, aggressive driving played a role in 1,016 of 1,616 fatalities in Pennsylvania in 2005, the most recent year for which data is available. For nearly ten years, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., have partnered through Smooth Operator, actively curbing aggressive driving in those jurisdictions. For more information about Smooth Operator, visit the website at www.smoothoperatorprogram.com.