Arrested This Summer: Hot Headed Driving

DC, MD and VA Law Enforcement Crack Down on Aggressive Driving; Campaign Kick Off Highlights Dangers of Driving Aggressively in the Summer Months

WASHINGTON, May 18 -- With summer being the season of aggressive driving, more than 80 state and local law enforcement agencies from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia are banding together to keep residents safe. The Smooth Operator campaign mobilizes its first wave of enforcement May 22-28, and police across the region will be out in force to combat aggressive driving. With children out of school, construction activities ramping up, and the influx of tourists, the theme of this year's Smooth Operator campaign will be "summer."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that aggressive driving behaviors -- speeding, tailgating, running red lights and stop signs, improper passing and other dangerous driving maneuvers -- has cost billions of dollars and may be responsible for one-third of injury crashes and two-thirds of highway fatalities. Projected to Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, more than 1,000 regional highway fatalities annually may be associated with aggressive driving behaviors.

"The Smooth Operator campaign is a great example of how transportation and traffic enforcement officials throughout the Mid-Atlantic region cooperate effectively across jurisdictions to curb aggressive driving and improve safety on our highways," noted NHTSA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Elizabeth Baker. As the Smooth Operator campaign has grown, so has its effectiveness.

Citations during four enforcement waves in 2004 totaled more than 260,000 -- more than four times the 62,000 issued in the initial year of 1997. The 2004 Smooth Operator campaign was also successful in raising the awareness of aggressive driving behavior. Pre- and post-campaign public opinion surveys of Washington area drivers showed that the recognition of the Smooth Operator message increased 19 percentage points to 78 percent in the Washington area, while it increased 14 percentage points to 67 percent in the Baltimore area. Citations during four enforcement waves in 2004 totaled more than 260,000 -- more than four times the 62,000 issued in the initial year of 1997.

About Smooth Operator

Sixteen Washington area law enforcement agencies launched Smooth Operator in 1997, targeting motorists who drove aggressively. By 1999, the coalition had grown to include elected officials and representatives from government agencies, private sector organizations, and law enforcement agencies from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. To enhance the annual law enforcement efforts, public awareness campaigns and research began in 2000 and formed a cooperative interstate effort that is unique among the law enforcement groups and organizations involved.