Philadelphia police cracking down on aggressive driving in specific neighborhoods

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia Police Department is expanding its traffic enforcement initiatives to crack down on aggressive driving.

Police said they will be hyper-focused on every type of traffic violation from failing to yield to recklessly swerving in and out of traffic.

"If you engage in breaking the law and we see you, we're going to stop you. We're going to issue the ticket and hope that next time you think about it," said Chief Inspector Michael McCarrick, with the Philadelphia Police Department.

Community members say they're fed up with dangerous drivers. Residents in certain areas of Northeast Philadelphia, Roxborough and West Oak Lane say they don't feel safe crossing the street.

"People are not respecting like the stop lights, or they're just so in a hurry it doesn't feel safe at all," said Patricia Velasco, of Northeast Philadelphia.

"It says no turning, no turn on red and they will turn on red while you're crossing the street and it's really bad," added Grover Irick, of Northeast Philadelphia.

Police say they hear concerns like these from the community constantly.

"I feel like somebody is gonna hit me, but I just like run across the street," said Saleem Robinson, of Northeast Philadelphia.

On Monday, police let the community know they're working to improve safety and reduce the number of accidents in specific areas.

In Northeast Philadelphia, police will target Castor Avenue between Rhawn Street and Oxford Circle, as well as the 300 to 2600 blocks of Cottman Avenue.

In West Oak Lane, officers will focus on the 6900 to the 8000 blocks of Ogontz Avenue, and in Roxborough, the 7000 to 8600 blocks of Henry Avenue.

Traffic enforcement initiatives are already in place in other areas of the city.

"The one thing that is concerning -- this year alone we already have almost 1,000 vehicle investigations as part of that initiative," McCarrick said.

Police say aggressive driving has become the new norm and they're tackling that by having officers out during rush hour to make sure drivers and pedestrians are safe.

Police and residents we spoke with say it comes down to blatant disrespect for the law.

"If you travel anywhere, you can see how people are excessive speed, traversing in between lanes in a manner that's not really conducive to safety," McCarrick said.

Police say traffic enforcement initiatives are already in place along other busy corridors such as Broad Street and Bustleton Avenue.

Action News has been told that they've already issued more than 3,000 tickets along Bustleton Avenue since 2022.

"They're very egocentric, and they're focused on getting to where they want to go...they have no concern for others," said McCarrick. "You have children going to school. You have buses that are there. It runs the full gambit around school arrivals, our school dismissals. You get a lot of double parking and hazardous behavior too."

Police are also looking into adding speed and traffic cameras at some point. For now, they're hoping issuing tickets will make drivers think twice.