Truck Accident News

Smooth Operator Program Concludes First Wave

More than 20,000 motorists felt the effect of a statewide crackdown on aggressive driving March 25-31 that was conducted by 150 municipal police departments and 15 Pennsylvania State Police troops across the state during the first wave of Pennsylvania’s “Smooth Operator” program.

Traffic citations and arrests by local and Pennsylvania State Police totaled 20,439.

Police cited 16,223 of those drivers for aggressive driving behaviors including speeding, tailgating, running red lights or stop signs and unsafe lane changes. Roads were targeted based on statistics that showed a high frequency of aggressive driving crashes. In addition, 886 citations were issued for failure to wear a seat belt, 2,988 citations were issued for other traffic violations and 342 arrests were made during Smooth Operator.

PennDOT is investing $2 million in the Smooth Operator program to reduce the leading factor for highway fatalities — aggressive driving. In 2005, aggressive driving played a role in 1,016 of 1,616 fatalities on Pennsylvania roads. PennDOT funding supports police training, overtime and equipment, such as wireless infrared speed detectors. Smooth Operator enforcement will resume this summer, with enforcement waves scheduled from July 1-7, August 5-11 and September 2-15. Read more at state.pa.us.

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	Did You Know?
	A driver can be disqualified for one year for a first time conviction of the following offenses while operating a commercial vehicle. Penalties can include: Driving under the influence of alcohol or any drugs; Driving with an alcohol concentration of .04 or more; Leaving the scene of an accident; Using a commercial vehicle in the commission of a felony; or Refusing to take a blood alcohol test. If convicted of any of the above while operating a vehicle placarded for hazardous materials, the disqualification increases to three years.