I immediately check the rearview mirror looking for our heroes in blue (or khaki) in pursuit. Over the past year, while driving in my personal vehicle, I’ve witnessed cars zoom past on the freeways going well over 100 miles per hour. Jim Dudley: The South Carolina Department of Public Safety has announced the creation of new specialized teams using unmarked, striped Dodge Chargers to help curb increasing trends of aggressive driving.ĭespite the COVID-related effects of fewer cars on the road, the national trend has been higher incidents of traffic collisions, sideshows, speeding and fatalities. Traffic-related fatalities are often the primary or secondary cause of deaths of law enforcement officers every year. Our debaters: Jim Dudley, a 32-year veteran of the San Francisco Police Department where he retired as deputy chief of the Patrol Bureau, and Chief Joel Shults, EdD, who retired as chief of police in Colorado. The ground rules: As in an actual debate, the pro and con sides are assigned randomly as an exercise in critical thinking and analyzing problems from different perspectives. “We also have seen a disturbing increase in aggressive driving behaviors, including speeds of over 100 mph, tailgating, drunken or drugged driving and road rage – all of which are unacceptable.”Īre unmarked police cars the best approach to the problem of aggressive driving? Read our columnists' take on this topic and share your thoughts in the box below. “During the past year, South Carolina has followed national trends of increased highway collisions, injuries, and fatalities,” SCDPS Director Robert Woods, IV said. The teams feature a mix of marked and unmarked police cars, including the newest additions to the Highway Patrol’s fleet of a group of unmarked, striped Dodge Chargers. Despite a 13% reduction in the number of miles traveled in 2020, traffic deaths grew by about 7% to 38,680 making it the deadliest year on highways since 2007, according to NHTSA estimates.Įven as the country has opened up again, aggressive driving has continued. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) recently announced the creation of new specialized Area Coordinated Enforcement (ACE) Teams teams to help curb this trend. Law enforcement agencies frequently shared on social media photos of tickets issued for speeds in excess of 100 mph. With usually busy freeways and streets near empty, drivers seemed to forget all the rules of the road. One of the unexpected consequences of the COVID-19 lockdowns that occurred during the initial months of the coronavirus pandemic was an increase in speeding violations.
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