CHP operation to target speeding, agressive drivers

The majority of collisions in California that end in death or injury begin with a speeding or aggressive driver, according to the California Highway Patrol.

To address this issue, the CHP has embarked on a year-long endeavor to reduce the frequency of these collisions throughout the state.

To assist the CHP in the effort, the department has received a federally-funded grant titled,

“Reduce Aggressive Driving Incidents and Tactically Enforce Speed.”

The CHP’s anti-speed campaign will continue through Sept. 30.

The CHP in the Central Division will be conducting a division-wide enforcement operation on March 22 from the Grapevine to Modesto, targeting the major travel corridors; Highway 99 and Interstate 5.

“If you are driving in an aggressive manner or speeding you will be stopped and cited,” stated Central Division Chief Jim Abrames in a press release issued Wednesday. “The primary goal with the RADIATES Grant is to reduce the number of fatal injury traffic collisions within the Central Valley.”

Statistical data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records Systems for 2010 — the most recent year for which final figures are available — indicates there were more than 132,000 collisions statewide where speed was the primary cause, resulting in the deaths of 435 people and injury to nearly 72,000 others.  

Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.