State Police to participate in ticketing aggressive cars and trucks (TACT) campaign

PUTNAMVILLE -- Starting this Sunday, May 12, Indiana State Police will be participating in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Ticket Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) campaign.

West-central Indiana will be one of the areas of concentrate as troopers participate in the campaign through Saturday, June 8 in an effort to reduce the number of crashes involving commercial motor vehicles and passenger cars.

"Hendricks, Putnam, Vigo and parts of Clay counties are some areas we will be targeting," Sgt. Angie Hahn, ISP 
Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division spokesman, told the Banner Graphic.

The TACT program uses education and high-visibility traffic enforcement to reduce commercial motor vehicle-related crashes.

By participating in TACT, Indiana State Police hope to deter unsafe driving behavior by passenger vehicle and commercial motor vehicle drivers when they interact on the roadway.

Troopers will be specifically looking for motorists who drive dangerously around semi trucks and other commercial motor vehicles. Some of the violations troopers will be concentrating on include unsafe lane changes, failure to yield the right of way, following too closely and aggressive driving.

In many crashes involving commercial motor vehicles, the crash is caused by non-commercial drivers operating in an unsafe manner, ISP officials said.

"The Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division would like to remind everyone that traffic safety is a continuing partnership between the general motoring public, the commercial transportation industry and law enforcement," Capt. Mike Eslinger, commander of the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, said. "Together, through safer driving practices, we can reduce crashes, fatalities and injuries."

Indiana State Police encourage all drivers to follow these safety tips when driving around commercial motor vehicles:

* Allow plenty of space between you and the commercial motor vehicle. Drivers should allow one car length between their vehicle and the commercial motor vehicle for every 10 mph of travel or follow at least three to four seconds behind the semi.

* Stay out of the truck driver's blind spot. If you can't see the mirrors on the truck, the driver can't see you.

* Always make safe lane changes around commercial motor vehicles. Use signals and leave plenty of space between you and the truck. It can take more tham 500 feet for a fully loaded truck going 65 mph to come to a complete stop.

* Always yield the right of way to commercial motor vehicles.