Police Increase Enforcement

Until Sept. 18, expect more officers on the roads as part of the final wave of the Smooth Operator program.

The public safety program is a partnership of law enforcement, public safety officials and experts from Maryland, Virginia and D.C and focuses on educating motorists of the risks associated with driving aggressively.

Smooth Operator was founded in 1997 when 18 law enforcement agencies came together to crack down on aggressive drivers in the greater DC area resulting in 62,000 citations that year.

Officials then formed a coalition of elected officials, government agencies, private sector organizations and law enforcement agencies to raise awareness.

Later, in 2000, a public awareness and education program was added to bring the public's attention to times when they would be more prone to drive aggressively, like in heavy traffic or under other stressful circumstances.

The program is quickly becoming a model for the rest of the nation. In 2007, they added Pennsylvania law enforcement to their list of participants and gave out more than 385,000 citations over four waves of enforcement.

Since its founding in 1997, more than 3.2 million citations against aggressive driving have been issued.