The Reporter newspaper, Camdenton Missouri

The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

Published July 12, 2017

Police on the look out for road rage

CAMDENTON - The Camdenton Police Department is announcing for the 19th year its continued campaign to combat Aggressive Driving.

Aggressive Driving is defined as: Risky driving behavior on the roadway that poses the possibility of endangering the driver and other motorists, as well as endangering property. This violence is known as “road rage”.

“Operation Safe Way” ran earlier this week (July 10-11) and will run again on August 10-11. Specially marked patrol cars will patrol the city looking for aggressive drivers.

The officers will stop the vehicle and a summons or written warning will be issued for the violation. The driver will receive a citation summary sheet that will educate them as to the violation they were stopped for.

On the back of the summary sheet is a self-driving evaluation the driver may take. The driver will receive a booklet about Aggressive Driving and a pamphlet on seatbelt usage.

The Missouri Transportation Department will assist with the operation by providing the Police Department with electronic signboards to advertise the upcoming operation.

A radar speed trailer will be placed around the city in identified high speed areas. This trailer will give the driver of a vehicle the speed that he or she is traveling. Drivers are encouraged to drive with the highest degree of care.

Some of the most typical aggressive driving violations are: changing lanes when not safe to do so, passing on the right, accelerating through a yellow light, fail to use turn signals, improper use of center turn lane, and fail to stop at stop signs.

In 2016 there were 215 Motor Vehicle Crashes that occurred inside the city limits of Camdenton and 191 in 2015.

The majority of the reasons for the motor vehicle crashes in 2016 were: Fail to Yield (19 percent) Following Too Close (21 percent) and Inattention (20 percent).

Most of these motor vehicle crashes were avoidable.

Some tips to make driving safer:

• Motorists need to not follow the vehicle in front of them too close which allows more reaction time.
• Motorists need to make sure they have enough space to safely change lanes or pull onto a roadway.
• Motorists need to not talk on the phone or text while driving, adjust their radio volume and station while stopped and not perform multiple non-essential tasks while driving and to keep attentive to the roadway ahead.

“Just slowing down and giving yourself more time can make all the difference in being involved in a crash or making it to you destination safely,” a spokesman said. “Following these few simple rules can reduce the number of crashes and injuries that affect not only those involved, but other motorists, insurance rates and keeps our community a safer place.”

If a motorist would like a copy of the violation summary sheet with the self-driving evaluation, they can receive one at the Camdenton Police Department by coming in during normal business hours. The information is free.