Targeting aggressive driving around big rigs helped reduce fatal accidents by 40%

A crackdown on aggressive drivers in the Fort Worth, TX, area has helped reduce the number of deadly accidents involving big rigs by 40% this year, police said.

As part of the Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) program, police look for aggressive car drivers who pose a risk around tractor-trailers. So far this year, four people have died in Fort Worth in crashes involving 18-wheelers. Last year at this time, the number was seven, according to an NBC News report.

“We’re never happy about a fatality, but we are happy that the number seems to be declining,” said Officer Robert Mills, who works on the TACT program, which is funded by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Other departments in North Texas involved in the effort include Arlington, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Burleson, North Richland Hills, Grapevine, Lewisville and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Law enforcement in the area have written nearly 2,000 tickets since May for things such as speeding, following too closely and unsafe lane changes, and most of the citations are given to four-wheelers. Police have written 1,700 citations to drivers of passenger vehicles for speeding and other violations around big trucks. Only 260 tickets were given to truck and bus drivers.

Mills said he hopes drivers get the message to keep their distance from big trucks.

“Anything at any time can happen, but we really believe that, through our combined efforts, we have made a difference,” Mills said.