Drivers who put others in peril’s way with their erratic and dangerous behavior are being targeted by the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

Currently, the Highway Patrol is targeting aggressive drivers in Johnston County, which sits slightly southeast of Raleigh, NV, and includes parts of Interstates 95 and 40 and U.S. Highway 70. The crackdown is part of a program started by the Highway Patrol last year.

“We do it in different troops around the state as needed,” said Sgt. Everett Clendenin, a patrol spokesman.

He said the department watches trends and patterns and when things start getting out of hand, the Highway Patrol will step up its presence and enforcement in the problematic area in an effort to reduce the number of wrecks and injuries.

In the case of the Johnston County crackdown, Clendenin said the Highway Patrol had identified a significant increase in the number of fatalities when compared with previous year’s statistics. There have also been a number of major incidents that have shut down I-95 for several hours during rescue and clean-up efforts.

“We aren’t targeting any particular vehicle or a type of vehicle,” Clendenin said. “And, we’re not searching for what we call ‘frivolous’ violations. We’re looking for excessive speeding, reckless and careless driving.”

The campaign started Monday, July 26, and Highway Patrol units in the area have already written more than 500 citations. Clendenin noted two particular violations cited. One was given to a driver who was traveling in excess of 90 mph and another was given to an impaired driver who was driving more than 80 mph in a work zone.

“We’ve already noticed a decline in collisions,” Clendenin said. “These enforcement programs do work. It’s just getting the manpower together to get them to work.”

The stepped-up enforcement includes the use of the Highway Patrol’s Camaros, motorcycles, unmarked vehicles, helicopters and the motor carrier enforcement unit. The campaign will run through Friday at 10 p.m.

- by Jami Jones, feature editor

Jami Jones may be reached at jami_jones@landlinemag.com