Published: April 27, 2009 11:45 pm      

Police staking out Route 22 drivers

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.