KIROTV.COM - As
drivers pass semi-trucks on the road, they may want to keep in mind
that a state patrol trooper could be in the cab with the driver this
week.
Troopers are mounting up in trucks to target what they said is a big cause of crashes – aggressive drivers cutting off big rigs.
Troopers
said it can take the length of a football field to stop a fully loaded
semi, so if a car suddenly cuts one off, it could cause a crash.
Though
some have complained the patrols are singling out drivers in cars, the
state patrol said passenger car drivers are still the main cause of most
truck collisions.
Seven years after the first pilot
program, troopers are still jumping into the cabs of large trucks for
emphasis patrols called TACT, for Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks.
A trooper rides as a passenger in the semi and a partner in a patrol car makes the traffic stop.
During
the last emphasis patrol in December, troopers said they ticketed the
drivers of 286 cars and 23 trucks for driving aggressively around large
trucks.
The focus this week is in King County, where
troopers will focus on interstates and state routes such as 520 and 167
from 6 a.m. - 6 p.m., the times the state patrol sees the most
car-truck collisions.The emphasis patrol runs through Friday, with another round planned for May.
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