Earlier this afternoon, a representative from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and local police officials highlighted a campaign to curb aggressive driving.

The current “wave of enforcement” in the PennDOT-funded Pennsylvania Aggressive Driving Enforcement Project (PAADEEP) runs through Aug. 16. The project focuses on aggressive and distracted drivers, with a secondary focus on running red lights.

PennDOT District 6 Executive Lester Toaso said there were more than 6,300 aggressive driving-related crashes in Pennsylvania last year, which resulted in 168 deaths; 25 of them were in Montgomery County.

Additionally, there were more than 14,200 crashes involving distracted drivers last year, resulting in 59 fatalities

“Obviously this is a serious problem,” Toaso said.

For the past seven years, PennDOT has partnered with Pennsylvania State and local police departments to combat aggressive driving. The aggressive driving enforcement is funded in part by PennDOT’s $2.3 million investment of funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Statewide, more than 330 police departments, including the Pennsylvania State Police, will participate.

“… In our shrinking budgets, having a grant opportunity, and a funding opportunity like this — to bring awareness to aggressive and distracted driving — are really, really important,” East Norriton Police Chief Karyl Kates said. “This grant allows us to supplement patrol — to bring officers in on an overtime basis.”

See the video.

Following the press conference, local police officers caravanned to the unit block of West Germantown Pike to conduct an “aggressive driving blitz.” Drivers who were caught speeding were stopped by police officers standing in the street farther down the road; they were siphoned into a business center parking lot … where they were cited.