EDITORIAL SLOW DOWN, SAVE LIVES.

POLICE in the San Fernando Valley have launched a new driving program: You zoom, you're doomed.

Speeders and drivers who run red lights may shortly find they're pulled over and waiting for a traffic citation.

LAPD officers are starting an aggressive crackdown on speeders, and it's about time.

The Valley's wide, straight streets seem especially inviting to speeders. But the consequences have been deadly.

Valley authorities recorded 78 crashes that resulted in deaths in 2000, compared with 74 recorded in 1999. There were 60 in 1998.

Little more than a month into 2001, authorities have already recorded five fatal crashes, including one Friday.

Normally, officers in patrol cruisers write about one or two tickets every month, police said, while motorcycle officers handle the bulk of the writing duties, writing 18 to 19 traffic tickets a day.

But that will change soon.

Unfortunately, it comes at a price. Vigorous efforts to catch traffic violators means the LAPD must tie up patrol officers writing tickets.

In the face of the current crime wave and the LAPD consent decree, there are not enough cops to provide for the public safety.

Beyond that, officers are quitting faster than replacements can be found. A Daily News analysis showed last month that the LAPD has lost 30 percent of its officers to other police departments and jobs in the past five years.

Save some money and save police some time - slow down and drive safely. A life may depend on it.