Aggressive drivers take note: UHP cracking down

SALT LAKE CITY — The trailer is hard to miss. In big, bold letters it advertises the Highway Patrol's Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks campaign. But that did not stop motorists Monday from cutting in front of, following too closely to or improperly merging around the big rig, which had two troopers inside. The troopers radioed their colleagues in smaller vehicles who pulled the drivers over.

The crackdown project is known as TACT. UHP troopers are looking for cars that aren't giving big rigs enough room to safely drive on the freeway.

"Commercial vehicles generally take twice the distance of a passenger vehicle to stop, so unsafe lane changes in front of a semi are really dangerous if a semi driver had to stop suddenly," UHP Trooper Michael Bennett said.

Aggressiveness is a factor for drivers of big rigs too, and UHP Lt. Bruce Pollei says 60 percent of the crashes involving cars and semis are the fault of the driver of the car.

"If we can reach out to these people, educate them and help them as they operate around commercial vehicles, maybe we can help reduce some of those crashes," Pollei said.

It took only seconds for troopers to spot their first target as the truck entered the freeway Monday morning at I-15 and 5300 South in Salt Lake City. It was a small four-door sedan that changed lanes within five feet of the truck's front bumper.

Instead of getting a ticket, this time the driver received a warning and a pamphlet explaining the program.

"A lot of the (semi) drivers are driving defensively. They're giving themselves a proper following distance for the drivers in front of them, then you go cut in front of that driver and you've taken up all of his following distance," Pollei said.

They targeted I-15 between 600 South and 10600 South in the Salt Lake Valley for a specific reason: "The vast majority of commercial vehicle crashes occur in Salt Lake County," Bennett said. "We are trying to concentrate on areas where we have a problem."

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"It would be safer for all if the maximum speed truck drivers have is 65 mph in this state and make them stay in the far right lanes, except to pass another vehicle. ... it takes both sides being educated to make the highways safe for all in Utah!" -Pat Witten-Bell
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So far, the TACT campaign is as much about education as it is enforcement. There are billboards, radio and TV ads and this big truck with a warning from a UHP trooper about the possible fines.

"It just depends on the violation," Bennett said. "This morning we have probably given out half tickets and half warnings. We have a pamphlet we are handing out to drivers that we stop, trying to educate them about the dangers of driving unsafely around commercial vehicles."

Of course the real deterrent, troopers say, isn't the threat of a ticket, but the real possibility of getting into a crash with a big rig. In that case, you will always come out the loser.

Pollei noted troopers are also looking for people who follow too closely or who merge onto the freeway improperly. "The vehicle merging on needs to yield to the traffic that's already on the freeway," Pollei said.

The semi, donated by CR England, is one of two rigs the Highway Patrol is using as part of its campaign. Pride has donated the other truck, which is pulling an un-marked trailer. Money for extra troopers comes from a federal grant.

Monday's enforcement effort is one of at least two planned for I-15 between Sandy and Salt Lake City over the next several weeks.

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Story written by Sam Penrod, Marc Giauque and the ksl.com news team.

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