Some people might be critical of the federal government allocating $2.5 million for a special two-week crackdown on speeding in Pennsylvania — especially those drivers forced to pay fines and those people concerned about federal spending in general.

But the crackdown in question, which ran through Nov. 13, involving the state police and 320 municipal departments statewide, was money well spent.

Anyone who has traveled highways such as Interstates 79 and 80, maintaining speeds at or just slightly above the posted limits, and felt almost like they were standing still because of the speeds at which other vehicles were traveling, can see the need for speeding crackdowns.

Further evidence for crackdowns is seen in groups of vehicles racing down the highway in packs, virtually bumper-to-bumper. A mistake by one driver can trigger a deadly multi-vehicle crash.

Unfortunately, that kind of unsafe driving occurs on Interstates 79 and 80, as well as on other interstates and other major highways, daily. It should be hoped that the just-completed enforcement program and — hopefully — the prospects for others in the future will encourage drivers to embrace safer driving practices.

It can’t be predicted what tactics police might employ to catch speeding and otherwise unsafe drivers next time. But the program that ran through Nov. 13, targeting the worst of the worst offenders, gave those motorists ample opportunity to avoid a ticket — an opportunity they ignored.

Here was the unconventional tactic used, as recounted by a Pittsburgh newspaper:

Two speed trailers were stationed on both approaches to the enforcement area. The trailers are those portable signs that display how fast a vehicle is going; they are usually used in construction zones.

Thus, the drivers in question had two opportunities to slow down before they reached a state trooper holding a radar gun, and the troopers who were prepared to issue tickets.

As the Pittsburgh newspaper reported regarding the initial crackdown operation conducted on I-79 near Southpointe, police rarely had to wait more than a few minutes before nabbing someone.

Drivers who were ticketed for going 70 mph in a 55 mph zone faced an unwanted outlay of $140.50 — a $55 fine plus various fees and court costs. And, most notably, having been stopped, their speeding got them to their destinations later than if they had stuck closer to the speed limit and thus avoided being stopped.

Meanwhile, drivers clocked at 80 mph — and seeing vehicles traveling 80 mph on Interstate 79 in Butler County is not uncommon — faced a fine and costs totaling $170.50.

According to the state Department of Transportion, there were 5,755 crashes in the commonwealth in 2010 due to aggressive driving. In 2009, the crash total was 4,763.

Fatalities from those crashes totaled 130 in 2009 and 168 in 2010.

Anyone who thinks that the recent crackdown was a waste of money needs to rethink that opinion. More efforts of that kind are needed, whether they are paid for by the federal government or the state.