SACRAMENTO – In a bid to curb what it calls “video game-styled” driving, the California Highway Patrol is rolling out a fleet of stealthy cruisers to help enforce the rules of the road.
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The Dodge Durangos, with their ordinary paint schemes and windshield-mounted lights, are designed to blend into traffic just enough to allow officers to observe reckless and dangerous driving without being detected right away, according to the CHP.
“The new vehicles give our officers an important advantage,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said in a statement. “They will allow us to identify and stop drivers who are putting others at risk, while still showing a professional and visible presence once enforcement action is needed.”
Twenty-five of the “low-profile, specially marked patrol vehicles,” or SMPVs, hit the highways last week, according to the CHP, which plans to boost that number to 100 by June. The cruisers will be positioned along the state’s busiest, high-risk roadways.
The CHP said the state sees more than 390,000 crashes annually and nearly 1,000 reports of reckless driving daily. Last year, officers issued nearly 18,000 citations to drivers speeding over 100 mph.
Speed, the CHP noted, is a factor in 30% of all crashes and a major contributor to fatalities and injuries.
“Our goal remains the same: reduce injuries, prevent fatalities and restore a sense of safety on California’s roadways,” the CHP said in a news release. “We urge all drivers to obey speed limits, avoid aggressive behavior and share the road responsibly.”