Pa. debunks rumors of 'speeding ticket frenzy'
Philadelphia Inquirer - Philadelphia,PA,USA
"Starting today, Pennsylvania will launch a 30-day speeding ticket
frenzy. The state estimates that 9 million dollars will be generated
in speeding tickets. ...

Pa. debunks rumors of ‘speeding ticket frenzy’
By Peter Mucha

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

An e-mail making the rounds warning of a Pennsylvania crackdown on
speeding is a mix of fact and fancy, according to state police.
The message sounds an ominous alarm:

"BULLETIN! BULLETIN! BULLETIN . . .

"Starting today, Pennsylvania will launch a 30-day speeding ticket
frenzy. The state estimates that 9 million dollars will be generated
in speeding tickets."

Judging from the date of the e-mail, "today" meant last Thursday.

"Look out for Penn dot trucks parked along the road or appearing
behind you pacing you," the e-mail warns.

"It could be a Trooper driving the truck, it is called 'Operation
Yellow Jacket' and will be off and on all summer."

Better keep that cruise control to 2 m.p.h. over the limit to be safe,
the e-mail advises.

Actually, this ticket-frenzy e-mail is nothing new.

In April, state police issued a press release advising that it's all a
hoax.

"The misinformation in this e-mail is an urban legend that originated
in New Jersey in May 2005," the release stated. "Since then, the hoax
has targeted police in several other states."

Yes, troopers give tickets to speeders, said Sgt. Edward Murphy,
station commander of the Dublin Barracks. But no, there's no special
crackdown on speeding this summer, he said.

Monday was, however, the start of a two-week campaign called Smooth
Operator in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The program, which targets aggressive drivers, has been conducted
periodically in Pennsylvania since 2006.

But the e-mail is correct about one thing: Operation Yellow Jacket
does exist, Murphy said.

"It's a statewide program," he said. "It's the use of PennDot vehicles
to run radar from."

The vehicles are generally parked at the side of the road - not
necessarily in work zones - but are not used to pace motorists, he
said.

The program's purpose is not just to catch speeders but also to remind
motorists to be careful around any work crews and emergency vehicles.

"They should be slowing down when there's anything on the side of the
road," Murphy said.

Under the state's Steer Clear Law, motorists are required, if
reasonably possible, to move out of the lane nearest to construction
crews, police making traffic stops, or tow trucks assisting disabled
vehicles.

Anyone who receives the hoax e-mail should delete it, state police
said in its April press release.

"The Department suggests that anyone who receives such an e-mail to
simply delete it," the April press release continued. ". . . The
Department never issues traffic citations as a way of raising funds
for the state."