Special funding will result in extra patrols, enforcement in city
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
Coatesville Police Officer Sylvester Earle (left) and Cpl. Jonathan Shave display a sign reminding drivers that aggressive driving will produce negative consequences.
Those who demonstrate qualities associated with aggressive driving in Coatesville during March will run a higher-than-normal risk of punitive repercussions, city police said.
The reason? The City of Coatesville Police Department was awarded special funding to participate in an Aggressive Driving Enforcement Program. Coatesville Police Sgt. Rodger Ollis said the grant-funded initiative would enable officers to target behaviors that can make roadways dangerous for everyone, such as speeding, distracted driving, illegal passing, and failing to observe stop signs and traffic lights.
The city will be joining over 330 municipal police agencies and the Pennsylvania State Police to reduce the number of crashes related to aggressive driving on 435 roadways throughout the state. Any aggressive driver stopped by police will receive a ticket, a state news release said.
The first 2014 aggressive driving enforcement action is scheduled for March 24 to May 4; however, Coatesville Police Chief Jack Laufer said the city received some extra funding, enabling the initiative to start sooner in the city.
Municipal police agencies that participated in last year’s campaign wrote 116,191 citations related to aggressive driving, including 54,785 for speeding alone. Disobedience of traffic control devices/signs was the second most-common offense, resulting in 14,452 citations. The extra traffic enforcement also resulted in about 118 felony arrests, 1,210 DUI arrests, and 568 drug-related arrests, the news release said.
The aggressive driving enforcement is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For more information, visit www.justdrivePA.org.
