Special Traffic Enforcement Operations

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
February 2, 2009

The Woodstock Police Department announced today a special effort during the month of February to curtail aggressive driving. Its moniker? ROAD = Reduction Of Aggressive Driving.

Bravo!

The goal, according to publication of a Departmental Memo to Deputy Chief Steve Bozer from Sgt. Dennis Leard, is to effectively and efficiently manage aggressive and inattentive driving behaviors.

Heck! Let's not "manage" these; let's stop them!

Examples listed in Sgt. Leard's Memo include following too closely (tailgating), failure to adjust speed while merging (you know ... like those who speed up to cut off a driver who is attempting to merge), improper overtaking on the right (for example, on Lake Avenue in front of Wal-Mart, on eastbound U.S. 14 by Culver's, and in several places on Route 47 through Woodstock), and failure to signal when required.

Woodstock police officers on this detail are to adopt a "zero tolerance" for these violations. To me, this says that, if you get stopped for one of these, you will get a ticket. That's what "zero tolerance" means to me.

February is too early to use the Harley-Davidsons that are locked up for the winter in the garage by the P.D. Let's hope this Memo is refreshed in May and put back in effect for the summer.

Good publicity will go a long way toward changing drivers' habits. If officers write 50-60 tickets a day and the names and violations get printed in the Northwest Herald and The Woodstock Independent, even if the Woodstock Police Department has to pay for publication, the word will get around really fast.

Here's an offer. Provide the names and violations to The Woodstock Advocate. They'll be printed every day!