Remarks Prepared For Delivery Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater Announcement of "Smooth Operator"

Rodney E. Slater, United States Secretary of Transportation
April 29, 1997

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 29, 1997
Contact:  Tim Hurd
Tel. No. (202) 366-9550

REMARKS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION RODNEY E. SLATER
ANNOUNCEMENT OF "SMOOTH OPERATOR"
APRIL 29, 1997
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

I was in Philadelphia yesterday, with President Clinton, and Vice President Gore, and President Bush, and President Ford, and President Carter. Just as I see an army of uniforms today, I saw yesterday an army of teenagers, dressed in their new t-shirts, ready to volunteer. That is the goodness of America, every one coming together, to see a problem and to say we will solve it -- together.

We have a problem on the roads of Virginia, Washington, and Maryland that I wish we didn't have. In fact, the problem is becoming prevalent in communities around our great nation.

But the goodness of this day, and of this community on both sides of the Potomac, is that we have come together -- in force. The goodness of this day is that we are taking our roads back.

When you see cars driving twice the speed limits, and tailgating, and cutting in front of trucks, and changing in and out of lanes, and running red lights -- you wonder: who do these people think they are?

The GW Parkway is not the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We will be as aggressive as the aggressive drivers.

Aggressive driving is a combination of unsafe and unlawful driving actions that demonstrate a disregard for safety. A car in the hands of an aggressive driver has the same effect as a gun in the hands of a murderer. They're just mobile gunslingers -- that's all they are. But we cannot and will not tolerate mayhem on wheels.

Let me say this again: we will take back our roads. As Transportation Secretary, my number one responsibility, the North Star that guides me, is safety.

At the Department of Transportation, we have a role of vigilance to play. For the Smooth Operator Project, we have assisted in providing $195,000 in funds to address this problem. And today, I am proud to announce that an additional $100,000 will be made available to aid in enforcement of this effort.

But the biggest role is the role all of our officers will play. Every day and every way they will be on the streets. I am very supportive of what they are doing.

And I am most pleased, as you will hear in a minute, of how the private sector will bring in the community to support our campaign.

None of us can do it alone. But together we will take back the peace and quiet and the beauty and enjoyment of driving on the roads in the nation's capital.

Thank you, very much.

Source:  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)