Aggressive Driving Enforcement Campaign Heats Up with Summer Months          
State and Local Partners Cool Down Aggressive Drivers          
          
Contact:          
Maryland State Highway Administration          
Lora Rakowski, 410-545-0303          
Jeremy Gunderson, (410) 787-4072, Cell (202)374-2960          
Baltimore County Police Department          
Bill Toohey, (410) 887-2210          
          
WHAT:          
• News conference and police ride-alongs kicking off the 2008 Smooth Operator anti-aggressive driving campaign in the Baltimore region.          
• Announcement of Baltimore County Crash-Crime Corridor project, a component of the 2008 Smooth Operator campaign.          
          
About Smooth Operator          
• Over 70 Maryland law enforcement agencies and all barracks of the Maryland State Police will conduct four waves of increased law enforcement targeting aggressive driving behaviors on the region’s roads from June through September.          
• This kick-off marks the second wave of enforcement, lasting from July 6-12. The first wave took place June 1-7.          
• More than two million citations have been issued since the Smooth Operator program began.          
• In 2007, more than 162,000 citations and warnings were issued to drivers in Maryland alone.          
          
WHY:          
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that aggressive driving behaviors are a factor in two-thirds of all highway fatalities.          
• NHTSA estimates aggressive driving costs society $44,193 a minute, or $40.4 billion each year.          
• Since 1998, traffic-related deaths have been the leading cause of law enforcement fatalities in the region, surpassing even gunfire deaths.          
          
WHO:          
• James Ports, Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration          
• Neil Pedersen, Administrator, Maryland State Highway Administration          
• John Kuo, Administrator, Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration          
• Chief James Johnson, Baltimore County Police Department          
• Chief Marcus Brown, Chairman, Maryland Chiefs of Police Association Traffic Safety Committee          
• Vernon F. Betkey, Jr., Chief, Maryland Highway Safety Office and Maryland Highway Safety Coordinator          
• Weida Stoecker, husband was killed by an errant, speeding young driver          
          
WHEN: Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 10:30 a.m.          
Helicopters land at 9:30 a.m.          
Law enforcement to arrive between 9:30 and 10 a.m.          
          
WHERE: Timonium Fairgrounds          
2200 York Road          
Timonium, MD 21093