Before you ask: Yep, it’s got a Hemi! - Car Pro Show host Jerry Reynolds
Don't say you weren't warned. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is deploying a new fleet of low-profile police vehicles on the state's busiest, highest-risk highways in effort to make the state's roads safer. The high-performance, new-generation vehicles are specially marked Dodge Durango patrol vehicles (SMPV). CHP says they are designed to be discreet so they will blend into traffic.
The new vehicle deployment is part of the agency's efforts to crack down on what it says "can only be described as 'video game-styled driving'" - which CHP defines as aggressive lane weaving, driving triple-digit speeds and road rage.
All 100 Dodge Durangos will be strategically placed on California's busiest, highest-risk highways by June. (The CHP is already showing their impact on its Facebook page.) CHP says their low-profile will allow officers to observe the most reckless and dangerous behaviors without being seen right away.
“The new vehicles give our officers an important advantage,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “They will allow us to identify and stop drivers who are putting others at risk, while still showing a professional and visible presence once enforcement action is needed.”
Photo: California Highway Patrol.
CHP says with over 390,000 crashes annually in California and nearly 1,000 daily reports of reckless driving, these new tools will help its officers hold the "most egregious violators accountable".
Last year, CHP says its officers issued almost 18,000 citations to drivers speeding over 100 miles per hour. It cites speed as a factor in approximately 30% of all crashes and major contributor to traffic fatalities and injuries. The agency calls speed particularly dangerous because it decreases reaction time, extends stopping distance, and intensifies the severity of crashes.
The Durangos join CHP's fleet of other high-performance vehicles which includes Dodge Chargers and Ford Explorers.