Eastern Pike Regional police officers officially kicked off the 2008 Smooth Operator aggressive driving enforcement program in Pike County on Wednesday, April 9.

Officers of the Eastern Pike Regional Police Department will be enforcing laws concerning aggressive driving on Route 6/209 in Matamoras. The Eastern Pike Regional Police Department covers Westfall Township and Matamoras Borough in Pike County.

Aggressive driving offenses include tailgating, unsafe lane changes, speeding, running red lights and stop signs, following too closely, improper passing and failing to yield the right of way.

This Smooth Operator wave coincides with National Work Zone Awareness Week (April 7-11). Work zone delays can at times cause people to become frustrated which may lead to aggressive driving.

Law enforcement and safety professionals agree that increased aggressive driving enforcement is the best way to reduce traffic crashes, injuries and deaths in Pennsylvania. Aggressive drivers must stop or face tickets, fines and points.

Smooth Operator began more than a decade ago in the DC metro area. Pennsylvania piloted Smooth Operator in 2006 and enforcement went statewide in 2007. With 375 police departments currently participating, Pennsylvania's program has resulted in nearly 115,000 aggressive driving citations.

Additional enforcement waves are scheduled for June 23-July 6 and September 7-21. Please visit www.pasmoothoperator.org for more information.

More safety information may be obtained by checking out www.neparoads.com PennDOT's Northeastern Pennsylvania transportation website. For more safety tips, click on “Safety.”