Fairfax police target aggressive drivers

Aggressive driving incidents in Fairfax County were way up in 2011 over 2010, so Fairfax County Police are turning up the heat this summer to crack down on unsafe moving violations.
Operation Summer HEAT (Help Eliminate Aggressive Traffic), running June 15- Sept. 3—will focus on moving violations, such as reckless driving, speeding, improper passing, disregarding signs and lights, following too closely, and failing to yield right of way.

In 2011, officers cited 142,263 drivers for traffic safety violations in these categories, an increase of 1,621 over 2010. “Clearly, motorists in Fairfax County have very busy lives and are often frustrated with heavy traffic. Just one fender bender caused by an aggressive driver makes a difficult situation even worse; we’re trying to do something about this ongoing problem,” said Captain Susan Culin, commander of the Traffic Division.

Police issued 4,484 tickets for disregarding stop signs in 2011, up from 3,919 in 2010. There were 2,863 reckless driving citations in 2011, up from 2,788 in 2010. So far in 2012, officers issued 11,906 speeding tickets.

The Summer HEAT program involves three major enforcement waves in June, July, and August. Many officers will place Summer HEAT car magnets on their cruisers to warn motorists to be mindful of safe, careful driving practices.