According to a recent press release from PennDOT, dozens of police departments around Philadelphia will begin enforcing stricter safety laws on aggressive drivers. Officers hope this tougher stance will reduce the number of fatalities in southeastern Pennsylvania.
In total, 57 local municipalities in Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Bucks counties will take part in this new campaign. The PennDOT said this program will last until November 22, 2019.
Just a few of the activities police will be on the lookout for include excessive speeding, passing stopped school buses, and tailgating. Cops will also hand out steeper penalties for drivers caught going over the speed limit, DUI, and texting while driving.
The reason for this heightened surveillance mainly has to do with a 2015 PennDOT crash report. According to the data, road rage played a role in about 1,800 collisions and over 25 motorist deaths in the greater Philly area.
PennDOT hopes this new strategy will encourage more motorists to keep a level head and avoid unnecessary crashes. At the end of this campaign, road safety experts will review crash data to see if there was a decrease in injuries and fatalities.
Road rage is widespread across the USA. Indeed, one survey conducted by AAA found that 80 percent of American motorists experience intense frustration when driving within the span of a year. AAA also discovered that road rage was a factor in about 50 percent of fatal US crashes.
PennDOT is using a large part of the money it received from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to fund Philly’s aggressive driving crackdown. This new program is all a part of the Aggressive Driving Education and Enforcement Project, which was founded in 2006 to improve safety on Pennsylvania’s streets.
For more information on what PennDOT considers aggressive driving, please check out this official webpage. In addition to a definition of road rage, you’ll find tips on this website to help you effectively deal with aggressive drivers.