HARRISBURG – Motorists hitting the highways for one of the busiest travel holidays of the year will have police departments keeping them company. More than 150 municipal police departments and the Pennsylvania state police will be watching for aggressive drivers during the fourth wave of Smooth Operator enforcement, which runs Sunday through Sept. 15.
Smooth Operator targets aggressive driving, which is the leading cause of highway fatalities in Pennsylvania.
During the Labor Day weekend last year, 739 crashes and nine fatalities were related to aggressive driving behaviors such as speeding, tailgating, running red lights and careless passing.
During the third wave of enforcement in August, police issued a total of 19,433 citations, including 15,567 for aggressive driving. Roads were selected for enforcement based on statistics that showed a high frequency of aggressive-driving crashes.
In addition, 753 citations were issued for failure to wear a seat belt; 3,113 citations were issued for other traffic violations. Police also made 319 arrests.
A total of 59,567 citations and arrests have been tallied during this first year of statewide Smooth Operator enforcement. PennDOT has invested $2 million in the Smooth Operator program to support police training, overtime and equipment such as wireless infrared speed detectors.