Police can only do so much to curb the dangerous driving behaviors that we all see on our highways, rural roads and city streets. It’s not uncommon to have a bad injury accident or even fatal traffic collision caused by another driver’s impatient and belligerent actions on a public road. These kinds of crashes, which involve SUVs, sedans, pickup trucks and even motorcycles, can cause bodily injuries ranging from bumps and bruises to deep cuts and even fatal traumatic head injuries.
With the pace of everyone’s working and private lives ever increasing, it’s not difficult to see why people are in a hurry, but there is no excuse for endangering other drivers as a result. As Maryland automobile accident lawyers, we applaud law enforcement’s efforts to reduce the amount of aggressive driving on our streets and in doing so perhaps limit the number of accidents as well.
One area of note is a stretch of Interstate 97, which apparently is the focus of the latest police crackdown on aggressive driving. Anne Arundel County police officers and state troopers, 45 in all using vehicles and a police helicopter, were part of a month-long program to target and ticket offenders on the I-97 corridor in Anne Arundel County.
According to police organizers, police were focusing their attention on impatient drivers who speed, tailgate, honk, abruptly switch lanes, and badger cars in front of them who are already doing the speed limit. In the process, police conducted a twice-weekly detail that began on May 5, saturating the interstate with marked patrol cars, as well as the county’s unmarked Dodge Charger police cruiser.
In just five details, reportedly staggered throughout the month, officers stopped 273 vehicles and issued more than 100 tickets for speeding and aggressive driving, amoung others. They also handed out 258 warnings to drivers and issued 13 state equipment repair orders. Four people were reportedly arrested, including a Baltimore man suspected of breaking into a Severn man’s home minutes before the traffic stop.
County, state police target aggressive drivers on I-97, HometownAnnapolis.com, May 24, 2010