Philly-area police launch aggressive-driver campaign to reduce highway fatalities

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A summer push for traffic safety on some frequently traveled routes in the Philadelphia region will kick into high gear this week.

“This enforcement will take place along U.S. 1 in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties,” said PennDOT’s Din Abazi.

The goal is to cut down on crashes and fatalities.

“It doesn’t take long to spot examples of aggressive driving on our roadways. Many of us see it firsthand every day. The road racer, the distracted driver, the tailgater, the frequent lane changer, and those who run red lights,” Abazi said. “This chaotic behavior can create a tense atmosphere and lead to heartbreaking consequences.”

In 2025, there were 2,190 crashes due to aggressive driving, resulting in 37 fatalities and 114 suspected serious injuries within the five-county Philadelphia region.

“Transforming our mindset is the first vital step towards preventing aggressive driving. Let’s choose not to engage or escalate, but rather to maintain a calm and positive demeanor on the road,” Abazi said.

“No destination is worth a life,” said State Police Lieutenant Thomas Falcon. “We ask every driver to slow down, leave adequate following distance, obey traffic signals and show patience.”

Falcon pointed to a recent crash in Limerick Township where two vehicles driving at nearly 100 miles an hour collided, sending both off the highway and into the woods. In this case, one of the drivers died and the other was charged with driving under the influence.

Out of 76,000 crashes in Pennsylvania, 9,000 were caused by excessive speed, according to PennDOT’s count.

Vision Zero

In Philadelphia, the city is focused on completely eliminating traffic fatalities through its Vision Zero program.

In 2025, 89 people were killed on Philly streets, according to PennDOT. Speed often plays a key factor in those deaths.

“Safe streets are slow and predictable,” said Mike Carroll, the city’s deputy managing director charged with the goal of reducing fatalities. “When speeds up at 40 miles per hour, there’s a nine in 10 chance that a person hit will die. If we can slow that down to 20 miles per hour, they have a one in 10 chance of being killed and a nine in 10 chance of surviving any crash.”

When people break traffic rules, “it increases the risk, the danger, and the harm to everyone. Whether that person’s a pedestrian, a cyclist, or a driver,” he said.

As part of its effort to reduce fatalities, the city has invested in red-light cameras and automated speed enforcement efforts through the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

Carroll explained, “We don’t place them arbitrarily. The purpose of the speed camera program isn’t to punish people. It’s to enforce the rules of the road in an impartial way and to make sure our streets are safer. When we talk to the public, people from all walks of life in every part of the city overwhelmingly support the need for speed enforcement. That means ticketing those driving too fast, too aggressively and too dangerously.”

He said fatalities on Route 1, the Roosevelt Boulevard section, are down by 40% since the installation of the speed cameras.

Other efforts from officials include traffic-calming measures and engineering feats, such as speed humps, speed tables, signalization projects and crosswalks.

Carroll said the goal is to have a year with zero traffic fatalities.

The aggressive-driving campaign will continue through Aug. 16.