Will Statewide Crackdown on Aggressive Driving Decrease Tampa Car Accidents?
The Florida Highway Patrol will be inducing a three day long crackdown on aggressive driving in an effort to make the states safer which may help decrease local car accidents in Tampa. FHP troopers will be focusing on three specific behaviors in this effort to decrease aggressive driving, including:
- Following to closely
- Changing lanes improperly
- Speeding
The department will be using billboards and radio messages to alert the public of the crackdown and remind drivers that aggressive driving can have serious consequences. Drivers who are pulled over for aggressive driving can expect to be receive a ticket with fines that start at $150.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines aggressive driving as “the operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property.” The NHTSA partnered with the American Automobile Association in a study that revealed nearly 13,000 people were injured or killed as a result of aggressive driving over a seven-year period.
The Tampa city government reminds drivers on its website that aggressive driving can cost the public in ways they may have not considered outside of possible fines or Tampa car accidents. Aggressive driving can also lower an automobile’s gas mileage by as much as 33% at highways speeds due to the fact that gas mileage quickly decreases at speeds over 60 mph.
Sources: https://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/hillsborough/crackdown-on-aggressive-driving-02272012
https://news.yahoo.com/video/tampawfts-22220379/fhp-targeting-aggressive-drivers-28436688.html https://www.tampagov.net/dept_police/about_us/investigations_and_support/Special_Support_Division/Traffic_Unit/_Information/aggressive_driving_facts.asp https://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/aggressive/aggproplanner/page05.htm