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Message
from Chief John R. Batiste The Washington State Patrol (WSP) has directed its resources to the core traffic law enforcement activities (Driving Under the Influence, Aggressive Driving, Seat Belt Compliance, and Speeding) to maximize the intended results of saving lives, reducing injuries, and protecting property. The reduction in incidents of aggressive driving/road rage is critical to the mission of the WSP. The preventable individual driving behaviors and decisions made by aggressive drivers can lead to loss of life and life-threatening injuries to our friends, family, and children. Our goal is to change these behaviors and outcomes through enforcement, education, and assistance. I encourage the citizens of
Washington State to review the safety tips on this Web page and adopt
them into their everyday driving practices. Aggressive Driving / Road Rage
Introduction Society is moving at a faster pace now than in the past. Many people are always in a hurry and do not feel like they have time to slow down and relax. This may be due to the self-imposed desire to maintain a competitive edge over their perceived competition or because of competing demands on people's daily schedules. Whatever the reasons may be, this attitude can place those who share the roadway in jeopardy. The design and structure of our neighborhoods require us, typically, to use a vehicle for our daily transportation needs. It is becoming more difficult, if not totally impossible, in most areas of the country, for people to walk to the local grocery store or a job. Without a means of transportation today, it is very difficult to function on a daily basis. When we couple this with society's becoming accustomed to instantaneous communications, the problem becomes more pronounced. We are constantly under ever-increasing time and work pressures. In this environment, weekday driving may be seen as one of the last blocks of perceived wasted time. Some people continue working while behind the wheel, using cellular phones and dictating machines. This presents serious problems on the roadway due to the driver being distracted from the full time job of driving. It is possible the increased value of time is causing us to be much more aggressive on the road than ever before, especially during commuting hours. Some drivers see the traffic ahead of them as an obstacle to overcome at any cost. (Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) Definitions According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the definitions of aggressive driving and road rage are as follows:
Road Rage and Aggressive Driving Symptoms
What Can You Do? Aggressive driving has become a serious public safety threat in communities
across the nation. Throughout the United States, law enforcement administrators,
traffic safety experts, public health officials, mayors, state legislators,
and governors are being enlisted to help find a solution. Yet experience
has shown that significant steps to improve traffic safety in this nation
are made when citizens act. The Campaign
Safe & Sober - Battling Aggressive Driving Web site offers tips
for starting a grassroots effort in your community to battle aggressive
driving. What about your own driving? Take a minute to evaluate yourself to
see if you may have developed some habits that could be adding to the
aggressive driving atmosphere. Go to the Campaign
Safe & Sober - Get the Word Out to determine if you are an aggressive
driver. If you have witnessed or been a victim of one aggressive driving act
you can call 911 or the Washington State Patrol and provide the following
information that is needed by law enforcement:
If you have witnessed or been a victim of multiple aggressive driving acts in one area, you can report aggressive driving on-line. By providing us with detailed information about the area(s) you are concerned with, the WSP can focus on areas in which aggressive drivers endangering the roadways.
What is the WSP Doing to Battle Aggressive Driving/Road Rage? The Washington State Patrol started its aggressive driving program on Memorial Day weekend, 1998. The Field Operations Bureau (FOB) Aggressive Driving Apprehension Team (ADAT) program is a proactive effort to locate and arrest those drivers who drive aggressively. Apprehending aggressive drivers is one of the four FOB Core Missions:
The ADAT program utilizes unmarked/unconventional police vehicles equipped with mobile video cameras to detect and apprehend aggressive drivers. There are currently 40 ADAT cars located throughout the state. These vehicles are strategically located in each of the eight districts, where data shows aggressive driving is most likely to occur. Data shows that these vehicles are very effective in the detection of the aggressive driver. Currently, these 40 vehicles account for 40% of the total aggressive driving arrests made by troopers statewide. The Commercial Vehicle Division (CVD) also utilizes unmarked patrol vehicles to combat aggressively driven commercial vehicles and cars driving in a hazardous manner around commercial vehicles. CVD statistics show that in 2002, 76% of the fatality collisions and 45% of the injury collisions involving a commercial vehicle and a passenger car were the fault of the passenger car. Through the use of ADAT vehicles and the “Step Up and Ride” program (where troopers ride in commercial vehicles and call out passenger car violations to waiting troopers), CVD is actively addressing the problem of aggressive driving. The WSP receives reports from citizens every day, and takes these reports very seriously. The WSP relies on citizen input to place our ADAT vehicles and establish where we place our emphasis patrols. In order continue to do this; the WSP has established an e-mail address for citizens to use to alert the WSP as to where they feel aggressive drivers are endangering the roadways. With this new e-mail address, we are taking it one step further by making it easier for citizens to provide input, WSP will take this direct input and use it to put our vehicles in areas where they will be most effective and further increase our ability to catch aggressive drivers in Washington State and make our highways safer. If you have witnessed or been a victim of multiple aggressive driving acts in one area, you can report aggressive driving on-line. By providing us with detailed information about the area(s) you are concerned with, the WSP can focus on area(s) in which aggressive drivers endangering the roadways. Safety Tips
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