GALLITZIN — By land and by air, they are out there looking for anyone speeding, driving aggressively or not wearing a seat belt while traveling on Route 22 through Cambria County.
A three-day crackdown announced Monday also is putting state police troopers in PennDOT vehicles parked at construction zones in the hopes of slowing traffic.
“Operation Yellow Jacket” will help disguise the troopers, who are usually out in highly visible police cruisers in construction zones.
PennDOT officials, state police and local officers from Gallitzin Borough, Cresson Township and Blair County communities gathered at the Gallitzin Exit of Route 22 Monday to kick off what organizers are calling “Tag Team 22,” a patrolling blitz geared at reducing the high number of crashes and fatalities on the four-lane highway.
The initiative runs through Wednesday and is a multicounty effort starting at the Pennsylvania-Ohio border and extending 173 miles to east of Harrisburg, PennDOT District 9 executive Tom Prestash said.
“This blitz is designed to crack down on standout speeders and those not wearing a seat belt,” Prestash said. “In addition, the state police helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft will be utilized to help officers pinpoint aggressive drivers.”
It’s all about reducing the number of crashes and deaths, said state police Capt. Tim Mercer.
Route 22 has higher-than-average accident rates. From 2004-08, there were 364 crashes on Route 22 in Cambria alone – making it second only to Westmoreland County’s 548.
There were two fatalities on Route 22 in Cambria during the same period.
Over the 173-mile stretch, 2,831 crashes and 52 fatalities were reported during the study period, according to PennDOT statistics. Crashes on Route 22 in the District 9 counties of Cambria, Blair and Huntingdon during the four years totaled 980 with 15 fatalities, officials said.
Three elements were significant factors in the high number of crashes, Mercer said. Aggressive driving was at the top of the list, while other significant reasons for the crashes were alcohol use and failure to buckle up.
“We’ll be using electronic message boards, radar, unmarked cars and state police aircraft,” Mercer said.
Local News
Police staking out Route 22 drivers
- Local News
-
-
Proposed bill would expand use of traffic-light cameras
Some call it the hand of “big brother,” others are convinced cameras at signal lights would be effective in curbing red-light runners and ultimately saving lives.
-
Minister's trial date set
An issue has been resolved over the report from an examination of a girl allegedly taken by her mother to a Bedford motel to have sex with a traveling minister, clearing the way for a trial.
-
AP: Almost half of new veterans seek disability
America’s newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen.
-
Geistown beginning crime watch program
Residents will patrol Geistown streets in the coming weeks as part of a community watch program.
-
Persons of the Week: Nanty Glo vets will remember fallen comrades
Michael Kurtz, Tom Kasecky and Steve Kasecky will be among members of the Loy A. Douglass Post 3489 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Nanty Glo who will be honoring fallen veterans today, Memorial Day.
-
AG candidates face potential conflicts of interest
Both candidates for Pennsylvania attorney general have family ties that could pose a conflict of interest for the one who is elected as the state’s next chief legal officer.
-
Lawmakers: Capitol rallies unpersuasive
Nancy Richey stepped to the podium with a microphone at the Capitol rotunda with the hope that the right people would hear her message.
-
Richland closer to new chief
The search for Richland’s next police chief is winding down.
-
In brief: Thunderstorm downs trees, knocks out power
A late Sunday afternoon thunderstorm brought high winds, hard rain and hail to the Cambria-Somerset region.
- District Deaths May 28, 2012
- More Local News Headlines
-
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
