Traffic Crackdown

A look at similar traffic crackdowns in recent months in other cities and states suggests that Bangor is not alone in its efforts to curb traffic violations.

. A Florida State Police offensive aimed at aggressive commercial truck drivers last October yielded more than 4,000 tickets, according to a Miami Herald report. But the lion’s share of the tickets, 3,444 of them, went to average motorists who weren’t driving trucks.

. A New Year’s Day checkpoint in which more than 900 drivers were met by the sheriff’s department in Tennessee’s Hamilton County, and local police in Chattanooga and Red Bank, resulted in 30 citations earlier this year. Of those, five were for seat belt violations, one for failure to use a child restraint, 17 tickets for unregistered vehicles and four for lack of proper insurance, the Chattanooga Free Times reported.

. State and local police in North Carolina issued more than 11,000 citations on interstate and other major highways during a two-week-long campaign this month. Though speeding was the target, authorities also issued summonses for operating under the influence, safety belt and child restraint violations, and driving with revoked licenses. Police also apprehended 175 fugitives from justice and recovered 51 stolen vehicles, according to the High Point Enterprise.