HOLLY HICKMAN, Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) -- On an isolated highway in South Florida, police surprise 200 drag racers and spectators in a recent early morning bust. In New Jersey, motorists dial a toll-free hotline to report reckless drivers. In the state of Washington, a task force of highway troopers in unmarked cars targets aggressive drivers.
With the number of traffic deaths at its highest level in 12 years, officials across the country are cracking down on all types of aggressive drivers, from illegal street racers to tailgating commuters.
Authorities in South Florida are taking the problem more personally. The 17-year-old son of a police officer was killed in June while drag racing another car along a city street.
“I guess you can say we were fed up,” said Lt. Julio Pajon of the Florida Highway Patrol, which organized the street racing sting earlier this month near Miami.
In 2002, 42,815 people died in traffic accidents, the highest number since 1990 when 44,599 people were killed, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The administration lists aggressive driving -- along with drunk driving and racing -- as a significant contributor to the increase.
Authorities in many states are taking a three-pronged approach to curb aggressive drivers. States are passing tougher laws, increasing fines and threatening jail time. They’re also urging more community involvement and honing in on the highways.
Though definitions of aggressive driving vary, most state laws describe it as excessive speeding combined with at least two other infractions, such as running red lights or reckless weaving. The highway safety administration states that aggressive drivers run stop signs and red lights, pass on the right, flash their lights, blow their horns, change lanes abruptly, or make hand and facial gestures. Aggressive drivers may feel more comfortable taking out their frustrations on the road because their vehicles provides anonymity, the administration says.
In the past few years, Arizona, California, Delaware, Nevada, Rhode Island, Utah and other states have passing laws targeting aggressive drivers. In Florida and most states, officers can note aggressive driving on a citation, but no stand-alone law exists.
In Arizona, which passed the first such law in 1998, drivers who simultaneously speed and commit at least two reckless driving offenses -- such as weaving or tailgating -- face a $250 fine and a 30-day license suspension. In Delaware, aggressive drivers face fines up to $300, compared with less than half that much for speeding. They also face up to 30 days in jail and must complete a course in behavior modification.
Judie Stone, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a victim’s advocacy and public policy group in Washington, said tougher laws can help draw attention to what she called a growing problem.
“The public needs to be more aware of aggressive driving. It seems that society has become more hostile and drivers are more likely to take risks and get angry on the road,” she said. “People need to know how dangerous this behavior can be.”
New Jersey involves the public in nabbing offenders. As part of its new highway safety plan, the state has posted signs along major highways and turnpikes encouraging motorists to report aggressive drivers by dialing 77. The state’s six-year-old hotline used to receive about 100 calls a day. That number has increased six-fold since the state started promoting the hotline in June.
Lt. Al Della Fave, of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, said officers respond to every call by going to the scene, even if they don’t always arrive in time. In one case, though, officers found a man ramming his vehicle into a his ex-girlfriend’s car. The man’s vehicle burst into flames, and officers were able to save him.
Della Fave said the state has yet to determine how -- or even if -- the hotline has affected traffic citations, driver psychology, or aggressive incidents in general.
“But we’ve got a lot of people looking out, so it’s been a success in that way,” Della Fave said.
This year, the state of Washington has assigned more than 20 troopers to patrol highways and streets in unmarked cars. Through the end of July, troopers had pulled over 4,442 aggressive drivers, a 198 percent increase compared with all of 2002, department spokesman Lt. Mike DePalma said.
In Florida, Lt. Pajon said more drag racing stings can be expected. About 80 officers from several departments, using helicopters and video surveillance, took part in the Aug. 1 operation. Troopers impounded cars and arrested spectators.
“They wouldn’t race if they didn’t have an audience,” Pajon said.
A 2001 Florida law bumped street racing from a violation to a misdemeanor, so first time offenders face a $250 to $500 fine and the loss of their licenses for a year. Repeat offenders face $1,000 and two-year suspensions, and spectators can be charged with illegal assembly. Reno, Nev. and San Diego, Calif., also recently passed ordinances that make watching drag races a crime.
South Bay police Officer William Lacasse, whose son Willie Jr. died when he slammed his father’s Corvette into a light pole after he was challenged to drag race, said he hopes the crackdown convinces drivers to slow down and think before they get behind the wheel.
“I don’t want what happened to my son to happen to anybody else,” he said.