MORROW, Ga. — Local police are doing their best to prevent road rage shootings and one of the ways they’re trying to do that is by targeting super speeders and aggressive drivers.
Channel 2′s Matt Johnson got to ride along with Morrow police as they implemented an idea to stop road rage.
Many of the interstate shootings that have plagued the metro Atlanta area have started with one driver being aggressive towards the other.
Police say that patrolling for that can be difficult, but they are committed to stopping reckless driving before it turns deadly.
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“Our police officers aren’t going to tolerate bad drivers,” Morrow Police Department Deputy Chief David Snively said. “We’re going to involve officers from every division of our agency in this effort.”
Johnson was with Snively as he spotted a driver going 99 miles per hour on I-75 while weaving in and out of traffic.
Snively says on certain days of the year, 70% of the Morrow Police Department is dedicated to traffic enforcement.
“This type of enforcement is a way to try to stem this tide of road rage and aggressive driving,” he said.
Deputy Snively says they created the STEER Unit after looking at crash data in the city nd interstate shootings in surrounding areas. Their goal is to make city roads and their portion of I-75 safer to drive for the 250,000 who pass through daily.
“Our officers are not hiding. We’re announcing many of our waves of enhanced enforcement,” he said.
Snively adds that the need to catch reckless drivers is more important than ever.
“Maybe then we can prevent the confrontations with other drivers who are angered by that behavior,” he told Johnson.
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Channel 2 Action News has covered dozens of interstate shooting across the metro over the last year.
Sheikvious Young was shot and killed last June on I-285 in DeKalb County.
“That’s a tough pill to swallow, to have someone you love taken away from you in a brutal fashion. And nobody is ever held accountable for it,” Young’s father, Larry Brown said.
Chartez Bailey said someone on I-20 flashed high beams at him for driving too slowly before ramming into his car.
“Police did not go try and track down the guy who ran me off the expressway, so it needs to be some type of accountability, way more proactive policing,” he said.
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There has not yet been a road rage shooting in Morrow, and police want to keep it that way.
“We are enhancing our crime fighting, our crime solving, our crime prevention and traffic safety all at the same time,” Snively said.
Police also say that too many people go back and forth with aggressive drivers. Instead, just let them pass and avoid making the situation worse. Call 911 if necessary.
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