Beware! Blowing Past Big Rigs Is A Big Deal

Last year, 151 people were killed and another 5,845 were injured in crashes involving big trucks. Now, the North Carolina Highway Patrol is doing something about it.

The operation is called TACT, which stands for "Ticketing Aggressive Cars & Trucks." Two locations are being targeted by the Highway Patrol in our area. They are Interstate 77 in Iredell County between Amity Hill Road and U.S. 21 and Interstae 85 in Cabarrus County between the Kannapolis Parkway and Lane Street.

Troopers will be using helicopters and unmarked vehicles to concentrate solely on catching vehicles driving aggressively around big trucks. These two specific areas were selected based on traffic volume and the number of accidents that happen there every year.

Operation TACT will go on for at least the next two weeks. Each year there are more than 16,000 crashes involving big trucks. If nothing is done to curb the problem, that number is expected to double in the next 25 years.

We have included a video of driver reaction, a survey to get your feedback and a slideshow of interstate driving tips from the Highway Patrol in the sidebar of this story. You can also report dangerous drivers directly to the Highway Patrol by dialing *HP on you cell phone.