Hot Summer Flick Negatively Influences Area Drivers

     Aggressive Drivers Beware: Law Enforcement Crackdown June 22-28

      Two of Three Highway Fatalities Stem from Aggressive Driving -
                      Three Deaths a Day in VA-MD-DC

  WHY:           2 Fast 2 Furious, last week's top-grossing movie, is like a
                 videogame.  But in real life, when fast and furious drivers
                 hit the highway -- sometimes literally -- there is no
                 rewind or reset button.  Unfortunately, too many area
                 drivers fail to consider the potentially catastrophic
                 consequences of speeding, tailgating, unsafe lane changes,
                 and running red lights and stop signs.

                 These aggressive driving behaviors cause increased car
                 crashes, injuries and fatalities in DC, Maryland and
                 Virginia.

                 In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
                 (NHTSA) estimates that two-thirds of highway deaths last
                 year were related to aggressive driving behaviors.  Applied
                 to the three-jurisdiction territory of DC, Maryland and
                 Virginia, approximately three deaths a day stem from
                 aggressive driving behaviors.

  WHAT:          More than 50 state and local law enforcement agencies are
                 cracking down on aggressive driving in the District of
                 Columbia, Maryland and Virginia as part of the Smooth
                 Operator campaign this weekend.  Police agencies are using
                 traditional and unconventional tactics to stop aggressive
                 driving in its tracks, from highly visible enforcement in
                 standard police cruisers to under-cover, high-performance
                 Chevy Camaros to cutting-edge technologies.

  WHEN:          Today and throughout the second wave of stepped-up law
                 enforcement:  June 22 through June 28

  STORY ANGLES:  One-on-one interviews and individual ride-alongs may be
                 arranged with the following:

      * Psychology of Aggressive Driving -- Dr. Steven Stosny, a prominent
        psychologist specializing in anger management issues, has developed
        a proven-successful intervention program for aggressive drivers.
        This 6-hour course helps aggressive drivers build a conditioned
        response to regulate aggressive impulses, thereby heading off
        aggressive driving behaviors before they start.  Stosny is available
        to discuss the psychology of aggressive drivers.

      * Police Prevention -- Officers from scores of regional law
        enforcement agencies are targeting aggressive driving with stepped
        up monitoring and ticketing.  Ride-alongs are available in:

                 * High performance, unmarked police Chevy Camaros;
                 * A one-of-its-kind van equipped specifically to target
                   aggressive driving; and
                 * Traditional squad cars.

      * Coping with Consequences -- Physicians with Inova Fairfax
        Hospital and University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center
        in Baltimore are often called upon to attend to victims
        of aggressive driving crashes.

                        DON'T BE LEFT IN THE DUST:
                RIDE-ALONGS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AVAILABLE

KEEP US ON FILE If and when a breaking aggressive driving story occurs, we are instantly ready

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We're here to help you get the whole story on deadline.

PRNewswire -- June 19