Date: May 13, 2008

Contact: Andrea Dearden 577-3311

Event: Kuna Police cite dozens of drivers during aggressive driving patrols

When: Monday, April 7 – Sunday, April 27

Details:

Kuna Police issued nearly 60 citations to speeding drivers during the month of April. Kuna deputies spent the month targeting aggressive drivers in an effort to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on Ada County Roads.

Between April 7 and April 27, deputies stopped 204 drivers. Fifty-eight of those drivers were issued tickets for speeding, one for reckless driving, and 24 for not wearing a seatbelt or not having a child properly restrained. Deputies also arrested three people for driving under the influence.

“These directed patrols are not about issuing as many citations as possible. The majority of the people we stopped were given a warning. These enforcement efforts are aimed at educating drivers so that they stop dangerous behavior that is putting themselves and other people on the road at risk,” said Kuna Police Chief Kody Aldrich.

PREVIOUSLY RELEASED: (April 7, 2008) Kuna Police are reminding drivers to “obey the sign or pay the fine”. Deputies will spend the month of April targeting aggressive driving in an effort to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on Ada County roads.

Aggressive driving was the leading cause of traffic deaths and injuries in Idaho during 2006. Of the 267 people killed, 116 died as a result of aggressive driving. Speed was a major factor as 74% of fatal crashes in Idaho happened on rural roads that tend to have higher speed limits.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding was a contributing factor in more than a third of fatal crashes, resulting in more than 13,000 deaths nationwide.

During the Aggressive Driving enforcement campaign, deputies will strictly enforce posted speed limits in Kuna, including directed patrols along Highway 69 and in school zones where most of the speed-related crashes occur. They will also work to educate drivers about aggressive driving and its risks.

Examples of aggressive driving include speeding, not signaling, tailgating, cutting in, not allowing others to merge, stop sign violations, and disregarding signals and other signs.

According to NHTSA, a crash on a road with a speed limit of 65 mph or greater is more than twice as likely to result in a fatality than a crash on a road with a speed limit of 45-50 mph and nearly five times as likely as a crash on a road with a speed limit of 40 mph or below.