About CARE (Combined Accident Reduction Effort)

Operation CARE is about State Law Enforcement Agencies who have joined together in the endeavor of reducing human suffering on our highways, particularly during the national holidays.

Launched in 1977 by Sgt. Gary Ernst of the Michigan State Police and First Sergeant Gene Neff of the Indiana State Police, these two men dedicated their careers to the preservation of life through highway safety measures,  Operation CARE was formed as a multi-jurisdictional program of patrol, enforcement, and planning activities committed to the goal of accident reduction.

Since 1977 several organizations have joined with Operation CARE in a combined effort to deter the three key causes of highway fatalities: speeding, impaired driving and failure to use occupant restraints.

Operation CARE and this website, are the primary result of the combined efforts of the Arizona Department of Public Safety and other State Police agencies across the United States, as well as the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and other federal and state agencies.

Mission & Objectives

The organization is formed as a multi-jurisdictional program of patrol, enforcement, and planning activities committed to the goal of accident reduction by accomplishing the following objectives:

1. Strict traffic enforcement to obtain voluntary compliance in the area of:
   • Alcohol and drug-related offenses.
   • Maximum speed limit laws.
   • Not driving with a suspended or revoked drivers license.
     
     
2. Ensuring, through promotion and enforcement of safety belt statutes, the use of life-preserving equipment in vehicles to reduce injury and fatalities occurring in motor vehicle accidents.
3. Demonstrate a harmonious cooperation in traffic enforcement efforts between member jurisdictions to obtain voluntary compliance in order to eliminate hazardous violations.
4. Maintaining an efficient movement of traffic.
5. Reduce motor vehicle accidents through the enforcement of other accident-causing violations.
6. High visibility of patrols on designated C.A.R.E. highways during holiday periods.