Three Salisbury Township Police Department patrol officers conducted the first wave of aggressive driving enforcement details along South Pike Avenue April 11. The enforcement blitz was funded by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation traffic safety grant and did not take away any officers from routine patrol.

Forty-eight vehicle stops were made during the morning and early afternoon enforcement detail. The speed of drivers ascending the South Pike Avenue highway incline was timed by electronic devices stationed along the roadway.

Patrol Officer Bryan Losagio was stationed on a side street monitoring the speed of drivers. When a motorist was clocked substantially exceeding the 40 mph speed limit, Losagio radioed ahead to patrol officers Michael Palansky and Jay Vasilik who intercepted the drivers and issued citations.

Forty-three drivers were issued speeding citations and six citations were issued for other highway traffic offenses. Three drivers were clocked going 67 miles per hour in the 40 mph zone.

“The goal behind this traffic safety detail was to get the attention of motorists who operate a motor vehicle in an aggressive and unsafe fashion,” Losagio said. “Our officers are not out there targeting vehicles traveling slightly over the 40 mph posted speed limit. Rather, we issue citations to drivers who are exceeding the speed limit by a substantial amount. We also focus on tailgating, running red lights and other violations that are known to cause crashes.

“Roadways such as South Pike Avenue are known for large volumes of daily traffic and tend to have higher crash rates than smaller side streets. Although we invest more time each year on residential roadway safety, this particular PennDOT [Pennsylvania Department of Transportation] grant is intended to target roadways with high crash rates,” Losagio said.

“Before most of our speed details we take time to put up warning signs for motorists, such as our new ‘Speed Ticket Zone’ sign,” Losagio said. “Our priority is to slow vehicle traffic down to prevent crashes.

“Those who choose to ignore the speed limit signs and our very visible warning signs, end up with expensive tickets which come with license suspension points.

“Our department has several upcoming speed safety details scheduled in the months to come and we are asking that motorists slow down and drive safely.

“We also encourage our residents to contact us should they have traffic safety concerns in their neighborhood. Our department’s website has an electronic form which residents can use to express concern. We generally have an officer monitoring the area of concern within days of the traffic safety complaint being submitted.

“We make traffic safety a priority on our township streets and roadways, and we rely on our citizens to keep us informed on areas of concern,” Losagio said.