HOUSTON – The City of Houston is tackling the road rage and aggressive driving problem on highways on Highway 288 and the South Loop (I-610) on Tuesday.
This effort is a continuation of the new traffic initiative that began on I-45 and U-59 last week in which Houston Police Department officers gave out about 300 citations in a 2-day span.
“They mainly are for moving violations, following too closely, driving on the shoulder, no seatbelt, also texting while driving,” said Jason Roseman, Captain of the Traffic Enforcement Division. “But our main focus is the aggressive driving, maneuvers and speeding.”
Roseman said HPD and Houston Mayor John Whitmire are also focusing on driving down road rage, which he said has been a big problem in Houston.
“Road rage usually can lead to homicides, major assaults, people shooting at each other and we’re trying to stop that," said Roseman.
Houston Police said the highways chosen for enforcement were based on data, and enforcement on other highways and roads could continue in the future.
“I think when people see the officers they tend to slow down or not do what they were probably going to do,” said Roseman.
Below is a previous live blog from KPRC 2’s Jaewon Jung, who was on Highway 288 and the South Loop on Tuesday.
Tuesday morning, 10 a.m.
A vehicle was pulled over on 288 and the South Loop. About three to four police units were seen patrolling the area.
Tuesday morning, 11:30 a.m.
HPD officers and Texas DPS troopers seen patrolling in cars and motorcycles in the Astrodome area.
Tuesday afternoon, 1:05 p.m.
A Texas DPS trooper is spotted pulling someone over at a gas station at 610 and Scott Street.
Tuesday afternoon, 1:35 p.m.
Traffic begins to pick up on 288 southbound near Airport Boulevard.
Tuesday afternoon, 2:24 p.m.
More traffic observed on 288 southbound in the same area. However, no visible officers were reported.
Tuesday afternoon, 2:42 p.m.
An HPD patrol car is spotted in the same location.
Tuesday afternoon, 3:18 p.m.
Not much traffic seen at 610 and Main Street. No visibly marked patrol cars have been observed.
This initiative is part of a new traffic safety initiative, Mayor John Whitmire announced last week.
Houston Police Department said about 300 citations were given to drivers last Wednesday and Thursday in the new traffic safety push.
READ: HPD Gives Out 300 Citations in 2-Day Span in New Traffic Safety Initiative
Officers were targeting tailgating, speeding, reckless driving and road rage, among other violations.
While the department did not say what the average number of citations were in a two day span, Houston Police Union president Doug Griffith told KPRC 2 that number is higher than usual.
READ: HPD ends quota requiring officers to initiate at least 1 traffic stop per day
KPRC 2 looked into the number of people who were shot from road rages in the last ten years.
We found numbers from Gun Violence Archive which reveal in 2014, 10 people were shot. In 2019, that number was 29. In 2024, it was 84.
Houston also ranked number one in the number of road rage shootings across the U.S. between 2014 and 2023.
Mayor Whitmire said HPD expects to issue a lot of citations to encourage people to slow down and drive responsibly.
