CHP STEPPING UP PATROLS; SCOFFLAWS ON 14 PROMPT ACTION; DIVISION MAKES STATE LIST.

Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff Writer

Aggressive driving on the Antelope Valley Freeway this year has sparked increased patrols by the California Highway Patrol's Newhall Division.

The move to combat drivers who speed, make unsafe lane changes, tailgate and pass other motorists on the right shoulder also has elicited the financial support of the Office of Traffic Safety in Sacramento for designated problem areas such as Santa Fe Springs, Baldwin Park, and for South, East and Central Los Angeles.

Although Highway 14 was not specifically targeted for the separate $714,977 Aggressive Drivers Beware campaign, Newhall CHP Capt. Pete Mader has made it his mission to combat aggressive driving there, where 10 people have died in collisions this year.

Mader said the increase in the number of people using the highway could cause some motorists to drive aggressively.

``These people have a long way to drive and it's frustrating,'' he said. ``I'd like them to evaluate if they really need to get around a car.''

There has been a 25 percent increase in patrol on the freeway, where speeding appears to be the biggest problem.

There have been 17 fatalities in the Newhall CHP's jurisdiction this year, with speed, fatigue or inattention as factors that continue to concern patrol officers. The Newhall CHP jurisdiction includes the Golden State Freeway, a section of the Ronald Reagan Freeway and Highway 14 to Red Rover Mine Road in Acton. Approximately 70 CHP personnel work out of the Newhall station.

``Inattention kills a lot of people,'' Mader said.

Mader cautioned that any crash has the potential to result in death.

``Anytime cars and trucks go out of control, someone could die,'' he said.

Like the increased attention given to Highway 14, the Aggressive Drivers Beware campaign is designed to decrease the number of highway fatalities, said CHP Officer Lou Aviles. Four CHP divisions will implement education and enforcement campaigns where aggressive driving has been identified as a problem.

The divisions include the Golden Gate Division, covering the nine Bay Area counties; the Valley Division, from Stockton to Chino and Woodland to Tahoe; the Southern Division, which covers all of Los Angeles County; and the Border Division, covering Orange, Imperial and San Diego counties.

The goal of the program is to conduct a statewide public information campaign reminding motorists of the benefits of courteous driving.

Beginning July 1, officers are concentrating their efforts on aggressive drivers through patrols of problem areas and awareness through billboards, public service announcements and community service presentations, officials said.

Between 1997 and 1998, incidents of speeding, following too close, passing on the shoulder, unsafe lane changes, reckless driving and unsafe turns increased statewide, officials said.

There was also an increase in the number of people killed in traffic-related collisions in Los Angeles County in 1996 and 1997, Aviles said.

In Los Angeles County, 764 people were killed in traffic-related collisions in 1997, down from the 863 killed in 1996, Aviles said.