Aggressive Driving is Target of Law Enforcement, Public Awareness Efforts

DALE CITY, Va., May 20 -- Aggressive drivers in the Washington area should be on the alert, now that the 2002 Smooth Operator campaign is underway. The area-wide Smooth Operator law enforcement and public awareness campaign targets motorists who speed, tailgate, fail to yield the right of way, run red lights and stop signs, weave in and out of traffic, change lanes unsafely and drive with a conscious and willful disregard for their safety and that of others on the road.

"We all have the capacity to be aggressive drivers if we are stressed and frustrated on our streets and highways," said Virginia State Senator William C. Mims. "Getting home or to the day care center five minutes earlier by driving aggressively is not worth the loss of life or serious injury that occur all too often."

The Smooth Operator campaign, which was launched today at a news conference in Dale City, Virginia, will include four week-long waves of law enforcement targeted at those who drive aggressively. The first wave of law enforcement began yesterday and will continue through Saturday, May 25. Later waves will occur June 16-22, July 21-27 and August 25-31.

The law enforcement waves will be accompanied by a comprehensive public awareness campaign designed to raise motorists' awareness of the dangers of aggressive driving on area roads and highways. Posters featuring a child's shoes scattered near visible tire skid marks on a roadway will be displayed on bus backs. Spots, narrated by John Davis of MotorWeek, will air on area radio stations to reach drivers in their vehicles.

This year, the Smooth Operator campaign will expand from strictly a Washington-area campaign to include the Baltimore metropolitan area and the Eastern Shore.

Also this year, the District of Columbia division of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will partner with the Metropolitan Police Department on a special public awareness campaign that emphasizes the danger of driving aggressively around trucks, tractor-trailers and buses. This is the first time the FMCSA has partnered with a local or regional public awareness campaign to focus their message on trucks and buses. In addition, the Maryland Division of the FMCSA will be closely involved in the expansion of the Smooth Operator campaign to other parts of Maryland.

"All too often, drivers of cars and SUVs fail to look out for large tractor-trailers and buses, and fail to heed the dangers inherent in being near them on the road," said Brian McLaughlin. "Aggressive driving around a truck or bus can produce deadly results."

This is the third year that the Smooth Operator program has included both law enforcement waves and a public awareness campaign. Since the law enforcement program began in 1997, law enforcement officers have issued nearly 400,000 citations and more than 7,100 warnings to drivers for aggressive driving behavior. When the program began, 18 law enforcement agencies were involved; today, 50 law enforcement agencies from the District, Maryland and Virginia are participating.

Both Maryland and Virginia have passed new laws designed to combat aggressive driving. The Virginia law, which was introduced by Senator Mims and goes into effect July 1, 2002, creates a new offense of aggressive driving for certain traffic violations that either create a hazard or that are intended to intimidate or harass another person. Motorists found guilty of aggressive driving are charged with a Class 2 misdemeanor, with a penalty of up to $2,500 in fines and six months in jail, in addition to four points on their driving record. If motorists are found guilty of aggressive driving with the intent to injure another person, they are charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor, and can face up to $5,000 in fines and a year in jail. Maryland's law, which went into effect October 1, 2001, makes aggressive driving a misdemeanor punishable by five points on a motorist's driving record. The law allows police to cite motorists for aggressive driving if they commit three or more traffic offenses during a single period of driving.