Pocomoke City Police stepping up efforts to fight aggressive driving

Drivers around Pocomoke City may notice an increased police presence on area roads in early March.

Additional officers from the Pocomoke City Police Department will be actively targeting aggressive drivers and enforcing traffic laws until March 12th, Pocomoke City Police Department Chief William H. Harden Sr. announced Wednesday on the department's Facebook page. This extra enforcement is part of an initiative to tackle dangerous and aggressive driving..

The ADAPT initiative, standing for "Aggressive Drivers are Public Threats," seeks to combat aggressive driving practices that lead to an average of 5,867 aggressive driving-related crashes each year in Maryland, officials said. More officers will be on the roads stopping drivers for speeding, tailgating, negligent driving, DUIs and DWIs, and using cell phones and texting while driving.

According to the National Safety Council, there were an estimated 40,200 traffic fatalities nationwide in 2016, the highest level in nearly a decade.