Both the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and Carroll Police Department participated in the most recent Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau Special Traffic Enforcement Program (sTEP) over the Labor Day holiday. The Aug. 21 through Sept. 7 initiative was focused on educating drivers about seatbelt usage and impaired driving and included a joint effort between the two agencies aimed at reducing texting while driving. In total, local law enforcement issued 93 citations and 201 warnings. This included eight operating while intoxicated arrests from either drugs or alcohol, three citations for open containers, 38 for driving without a license or with one that has been suspended or revoked and 21 for speeding. The vast majority of warnings, 76 for the Carroll Police Department and 10 for the Sheriff’s Office, were for equipment violations. Deputies provided assistance to four motorists and officers with the police department performed a seatbelt survey that showed 95 percent of the population was observed to be complying with that law both before and after the enforcement program. The PD issued only three seatbelt citations and the Sheriff’s Office just one. Participation in this program not only gives law enforcement the opportunity to help educate drivers and keep the roadways safe, particularly during increased activity periods, but to also receive grant funding in support of their traffic enforcement efforts.
