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Published on Wednesday, March 12, 2003
in the Tampa Tribune
TAMPA - Ahh, the rites of spring break in Florida.
Millions of out-of-state college students splash over the Florida state line to take their spring break and bake on the beaches of the east and west coasts, ditching the snow and cold and books and exams.
They come for the sunshine, and sometimes they come to party.
Occasionally, that partying involves drinking, drunken driving and fatal accidents.
So law enforcement this year is ready.
Historically, March and April have been peak months for traffic crashes, the Florida Highway Patrol says.
In 2001, March was the month with the most traffic accidents, with 23,907 that killed 245 people in Florida. In April that year, 247 people died in 21,153 crashes, according to statistics from the Florida Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Statistics show there were 24 more deaths on average in March and April, compared with the average for the other 10 months.
In March and April 2000, 516 people were killed in 43,990 crashes in Florida, statistics show. The spring-break months averaged 27 more fatal wrecks than other months. The highway patrol was right. March and April are among the deadliest months.
Students: Beware
The state patrol and other law enforcement agencies are launching Operation Safe Break to keep a lid on drunken drivers.
The operation began March 1 and lasts until April 13, troopers said.
The two months correspond with spring break, when schools across the nation take a week off.
Across the state, law enforcement officers are mobilizing to make their presence known and to try to keep crashes to a minimum.
Highway patrol Lt. Sterling King said most of the efforts will take place along Florida's east coast and the Panhandle beaches, but there will be some local ``wolf pack'' patrols to target speeding and aggressive drivers on interstates 275, 75 and 4 in the Tampa Bay area.
Although students on break like the sunny beaches during the day, they love the nightlife of Ybor City when the sun goes down, he said, and troopers, Tampa police officers and Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies will pay special attention to drivers coming into and leaving Tampa's main nightclub and party district.
Advice for out-of-staters coming to Florida?
``They need to not drink and drive, buckle up and don't speed,'' King said. ``The original safe-driving rules.''
``We know they're going to drink,'' he said. ``But they need to be responsible about it.'' That means using a designated driver, he said.
Locals In On It, Too
Local law enforcement agencies also are taking part in the statewide initiative.
Tampa police spokeswoman Katie Hughes said the department's traffic squad devoted to arresting drunken drivers will be out trying to make roads safe, particularly in and around Ybor City.
Hundreds of thousands of tourists are expected to flop on the beaches of Pinellas County this year, but Clearwater police don't plan any stringent traffic enforcement operations, except for Monday, police Sgt. Doug Griffith said.
``We're going to have the wolf pack out on St. Patrick's Day,'' he said.