BEND, Ore. – Officers from multiple police agencies plan to hold a traffic enforcement blitz on Wednesday, focusing on aggressive drivers traveling on the Bend Parkway, police announced.

Bend Police Sgt. Chris Carney said officers from Bend and Redmond Police Departments, Oregon State Police Troopers, and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Deputies will be out in force patrolling the parkway from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., March 18.

In addition to violations related to aggressive drivers, members of the Multi-Agency Traffic Team (MATT) will also be looking for those following too closely, making unsafe lane changes, and speeding, Sgt. Carney said.

MATT schedules different traffic details every few weeks, each time focusing on a particular area in Central Oregon, sometimes focusing on a particular violation such as aggression, speeding or traveling unsafely through school zones. It is not uncommon for dozens of tickets and warnings to be issued, as well as a few arrests for driving under the influence or vehicle impounds for drivers found to not have valid drivers’ licenses or insurance.  

“These efforts are meant to increase safety and prevent motor vehicle crashes,” Carney stated in a news release. “The goal of the team is to increase traffic safety awareness and compliance through high-visibility enforcement details.”