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ISP Headquarters
Commercial Vehicle Safety
700 S. Stratford
Meridian, ID 83642
For Immediate Release: 6/28/2010 6:30 am
Contact: Sgt. Scott Hanson - (208) 236-6466
Idaho State Police - Targeting Aggressive Cars and Trucks
During the week of June 28-July 2, 2010, the Idaho State Police will be targeting drivers that drive aggressively in and around commercial vehicles on highways in Eastern Idaho. ISP will be working to spot drivers that speed, tailgate, and cut off other cars and trucks.
The Targeting Aggressive Cars and Trucks Project uses officers with cameras inside commercial vehicles to identify other cars or trucks that are driving unsafely. The information will be passed on to other officers who will be waiting nearby to stop and take appropriate enforcement action against the drivers.
This program has been used before in Eastern Idaho and has shown positive results. ISP is working with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to reduce the number of crashes that occur each year in Idaho that involve commercial vehicles. Many of these crashes are caused by non-commercial vehicle drivers. In Idaho, since 2007 approximately 20 of the average 29 fatal commercial vehicle crashes each year are caused by the non-commercial driver. ISP believes that increased education and enforcement will remind all drivers about the dangers of driving aggressively and the differences between cars and trucks.
The program has support from both the trucking industry and other safety agencies. The Idaho Trucking Association has been involved with ISP from the beginning stages of the program.
Sergeant Hanson with the Idaho State Police Commercial Vehicle Safety Division says, "This is a peak traffic time in our area. People are traveling for vacations and the 4th of July Holiday. We want everyone to arrive safely. The more that we can educate and make people aware of how their behaviors affect others, the more we can reduce the number of commercial vehicle crashes and make the roadways safer."
For more information about the project, contact Idaho State Police Commercial Vehicle Safety at 208-884-7220 or go to the web address: www.isp.state.id.us/cvs
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