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Published on Saturday, January 3, 2004
in the Bradenton Herald
MANATEE - Manatee County roadways started the new year free of fatal traffic accidents, law enforcement officials reported Friday.
Thirteen traffic crashes resulted in 15 deaths on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in Florida, a report released Friday by the Florida Highway Patrol said. None of the crashes, however, occurred in Manatee or Sarasota counties.
Florida Highway Patrol officials tracked the holiday-related accidents between midnight Dec. 31 and midnight Jan. 1. The 13 crashes occurred in Miami-Dade, Volusia, Marion, Jackson, Taylor, Palm Beach, Broward, Lee and Orange counties.
Broward and Jackson counties reported the 13 fatalities, two of which were alcohol-related.
Lt. John Donovan of the Florida Highway Patrol in Fort Myers said the risk of alcohol-related accidents is higher on holidays.
"A lot of people tend to drink more than they should and drive their vehicles when they wouldn't on normal days," he said Friday. "Through the whole holiday period we do a lot more DUI 'wolf packs,' where a lot more [troopers] work a certain area and try to hit it hard in the evenings with the goal of getting as many DUIs as possible."
In 2002, Manatee County reported 3,537 traffic accidents; 421 of those crashes were alcohol-related, with 12 resulting in fatalities. Data for 2003 was not yet available.
Bradenton Police handed out about 50 written warnings, 10 citations and several verbal warnings on New Year's Eve between its two districts, department spokesman Maj. J.J. Lewis said Friday.
Bradenton streets were relatively quiet over the New Year's holiday, according to Lewis, who said the number of commuters running red lights has become a growing problem in the city.
"It really wasn't too bad this time," he said. "We live in a society where everything happens fast and immediate. We have to remember that as the population increases, the traffic system is the same."
Florida Highway Patrol offered a few safety tips travelers should adhere to before taking any road trip: