South Carolina Highway Patrol
OPERATION BORDER TO BORDER – Six State Enforcement Initiative Aims to Reduce Crashes on 790+ Miles of US Route 15
06/13/2014 — (FAIRFAX, VA) – Six state police and highway patrol agencies this weekend will once again engage in Operation Border to Border, a coordinated traffic safety enforcement initiative targeting approximately 791 miles of U.S. Route 15, which originates in Waterboro, S.C., and ends in Corning, N.Y. The corridor is a heavily-traveled thoroughfare for summer vacationers and for those attempting to avoid congested interstates serving all six states.
Pennsylvania State Police Riot Squad 1919
Just as the summer vacation begins for thousands of students and families up and down the East Coast, state troopers from Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia will carry out Operation Border to Border to prevent traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities along the entire length of U.S. Route 15. For three days, troopers from each of the six agencies will work together, conducting saturation patrols, sobriety check points and other enforcement initiatives to reduce traffic crashes and combat criminal behavior along this major, non-interstate highway. The initiative begins Friday, June 13, 2014, and runs through midnight, Sunday, June 15, 2014.
Maryland State Police Impaired Driving Effort
This is the third year for the coordinated, multi-state enforcement effort targeting U.S. Route 15 and ties in with the nationwide traffic-safety campaign, Drive to Save Lives (#drivetosavelives). With additional troopers on patrol along this north-south corridor, motorists are reminded to comply with each state’s Move Over law (#MoveOver).
Last year, troopers from the six states stopped and cited a total of 684 speeders, 14 reckless drivers, and 28 impaired drivers. Troopers cited 260 seat belt violations and 11 child restraint violations. A total of 25 felony and misdemeanor arrests, to include four drug arrests, also resulted from the initiative. No traffic fatalities occurred during the 2013 three-day project. In addition, 142 motor carrier inspections were conducted in Maryland, New York and Virginia. The inspections yielded 147 motor carrier violations with 28 commercial vehicles and drivers being placed out of service.
Virginia State Police
Maryland
Driving under the influence, speeding, aggressive and distracted driving have contributed to motor vehicle crashes and fatalities along Maryland’s 37.85 miles of Route 15, a major north/south roadway frequently traveled by vacationers throughout the summer months. In 2012, Maryland State Police responded to approx. 700 reported motor vehicle crashes along Route 15 in Frederick County. These incidents ranged from minor fender benders to serious personal injury crashes. Fortunately, none of these involved a fatality. However, between 2010 and 2011, there were six fatalities along the Maryland portion of Route 15 in Frederick County.
New York State Police
New York
Route 15 travels 12.71 miles into New York State, approximately half that distance is two-lane rural highway with at grade intersections while the remaining portion is a four-lane divided highway. Over the last two years the number of motor vehicle collisions investigated by the state police has remained relatively unchanged. In 2011 there were 37 collisions with one fatality and there were 36 collisions in 2012.The primary cause of the majority of these collisions was unsafe speed.
North Carolina
To date, the 158-mile stretch of US Route 15 in North Carolina has not experienced a traffic death this year. Six people died in traffic crashes in 2013 on this section of roadway, an increase of 50% from 2012. So far this year, 114 traffic collisions have occurred on US Route 15 in North Carolina. In 2013, 355 traffic collisions were reported on this section of roadway, an increase of 17.9% from 2012. Speeding has been the most common cause for collisions, followed by yield violations and impaired driving.
Maryland State Police Mounted Patrol
Pennsylvania
Route 15 spans approximately 195 miles through central Pennsylvania from the Maryland to New York borders. In 2013, law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania investigated a total of 639 crashes on Route 15, including five fatalities. This marks a decrease from the 646 crashes, including nine fatalities, on Route 15 the previous year. The primary factors for these crashes include speeding, distracted or careless driving, and aggressive driving.
South Carolina
Route 15 originates in Walterboro and continues north for 159 miles to the North Carolina border. During the 2013 enforcement effort, troopers issued a total 430 violations, to include 202 seat belt citations.
In 2013, a total 1,032 traffic crashes occurred on Virginia’s 230-mile stretch of U.S. Route 15. The highway winds its way from Clarksville at the North Carolina border through Virginia to the Maryland border at Loudoun County. The highway alternates between two-lane, rural stretches of road to urban four-lane highways, linking the towns of Clarksville, Farmville, Culpeper, Warrenton and Leesburg. The 2013 Border to Border traffic safety campaign netted 431 total summonses and arrests, to include 192 for speeding. Speed, fatigue, alcohol, and illegal drugs have been the most common causes of the crashes investigated along the Route 15 corridor within recent years.
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