Their illegal tactics are well-known: tail-gating, flashing headlights, weaving in and out of traffic, honking unnecessarily and whatever else it takes to supposedly “teach a lesson” or “get even.” All they accomplish, though, is to put themselves and others in deadly danger.

So our hats are off to the WSP troopers statewide who work in the Aggressive Driving Apprehension Team (ADAT). Often using unmarked vehicles and armed with video cameras to document the roadway belligerence, they’re racking up some impressive statistics. For example, in District 5, which includes Clark County plus an area stretching generally from Chehalis to Goldendale, troopers issued 9,308 aggressive-driving citations in 2007. That’s almost 3,000 more reined-in bullies than the number stopped in 2006, and more than triple the number posted in 2005. In what WSP calls the Vancouver area (most of Clark County), 2,412 stops were made last year, up from 1,440 in 2006 and 568 in 2005.

“You might think these are mostly young guys in sports cars,” said Daniel Coon, a WSP public information officer in Olympia, “but I can assure you, this problem crosses all demographic lines, soccer moms, business executives, every group of people you can imagine.”

According to The News Tribune in Tacoma, aggressive driving stops in Pierce and Thurston counties increased from 6,017 in 2005 to 9,810 in 2007. And look at the huge increases in King County: from 9,874 citations in 2005 to 17,206 in 2006 to 26,694 in 2007. Fines for the violations run into the hundreds of dollars, depending on speed and other factors.

About 40 ADAT cars are used statewide, usually 3-5 here in District 5.

While we cheer the impressive enforcement, we also are saddened by its necessity, and that so many tantrum-throwers still don’t understand the magnitude of their offenses.

On the remote chance that you might be a road-rager yourself and not know it, here are a few symptoms you might recognize in your own driving habits: verbally expressing condemnation of other drivers to passengers in your vehicle, mentally condemning or thinking of violence toward other drivers, not obeying traffic safety rules because you don’t agree with them. If any of that sounds familiar, the culprit is in the mirror.

For the rest of us, help is available, and we can become part of the solution. WSP officials encourage motorists to report aggressive drivers by calling 911 (but don’t make the call while driving a vehicle.)

For more information about aggressive driving: www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/roadrage.htm.