That Eye in the Sky? It Sees You Speeding

As Congestion Worsens, Virginia Police Are Expanding Aerial Enforcement to Help Curb Aggressive Drivers

To a state trooper on the side of the road, the gray minivan would be a blur mixed in with the rest of rushing traffic. But from 1,500 feet above Interstate 95, the speeding van immediately stands out, tailgating, weaving from lane to lane, blowing by everyone else.

As the van crosses a white horizontal line painted on the highway, a state trooper in an airplane circling above flips a switch on a timer. When the van crosses a second line a quarter-mile away, he flips it again. The van's speed: 91.4 mph. Its position is radioed to police on the ground, who pull the van over.

"That's the kind of guy you're cussing out and asking why the cops aren't catching him," Sgt. Michael J. Clark, a Virginia State Police pilot, said during a recent mission. "Well, we're here."

The airborne effort is the latest offensive against aggressive drivers, who lawmakers and police are increasingly targeting because of their roles in causing accidents, highway deaths and everyday driver frustration.

Maryland increased penalties against aggressive drivers in 2001, and Virginia passed a law in 2003 designating highway safety corridors and funding additional airborne missions to fight aggressive drivers.

"The recent upsurge in enforcement is a direct result of the department placing an increased emphasis on speeding and reckless drivers," said Lt. Nick E. Saunders, commander of the Virginia State Police aviation unit, which has a fleet of four Cessna 182s based across the state, including one at Manassas Regional Airport.

West Virginia, Indiana and Minnesota have passed aggressive driving laws in the past two years, according to Andrew Delmege, who tracks state legislatures for AAA. He said an additional 10 to 12 states are expected to consider the issue this year.

Police in Virginia said that complaints from commuters have jumped considerably in recent years as congestion has worsened.

"Now, it's like every day," Virginia State Police Sgt. Terry W. Licklider said. "It may not necessarily be pointing guns or getting into fights but calls about little things: 'He blew his horn, he cut me off, he gave me the finger.' "

When out of their cars, he said, many aggressive drivers are "just normal, everyday people."

Signs warning drivers about speed-detecting aircraft are planted along the region's interstates. But the unit had only nine missions resulting in 111 tickets statewide in 2004, compared with 48 missions and almost 70 tickets when aerial enforcement began in 2002. From January to October 2006, the unit flew 31 missions and issued 437 tickets, not including the 23 reckless driving citations issued on a recent Saturday when only those traveling faster than 80 mph were targeted.

Police in Virginia have turned to aerial enforcement because it is one of the most effective ways to spot aggressive drivers. Using a trained trooper's eyes and what basically is a high-tech stopwatch, this type of enforcement is immune from radar detectors and jammers. And few drivers look skyward when scanning for speed traps.