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Published on Friday, December 24, 2004
in the Naples Daily News
Passing on the right, cutting others off and speeding toward their goal, frustrated holiday drivers were focused on only one thing this week: the road ahead.
They should have been looking up.
Working in teams pairing helicopters with state troopers on the ground, the Florida Highway Patrol targeted aggressive drivers Wednesday and Thursday, hoping to send the message that careless driving is unacceptable, regardless of the season.
"When they're driving, they've forgotten about everybody else in between" them and their destination, FHP Lt. Douglas Dodson said of reckless drivers. "These are people's lives."
Every available state trooper in Florida, including Dodson, patrolled interstates and major roads looking for dangerous drivers this week. Law enforcement officers typically come out in force over the holiday weekend, though Lee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ileana LiMarzi said its deputies would not be deployed on special enforcement this Christmas.
Dodson said the FHP chose the days just before Christmas for its effort, known as Operation Safe Ride, because they fell just before holiday driving hit its peak.
Past Operation Safe Ride enforcement has been performed on Thanksgiving and other holidays with high highway travel.
Though traditional types of tickets were also on troopers' minds, Dodson said they were on particular lookout for reckless and careless drivers.
Aggressive driving in Florida is defined as two or more traffic violations connected to one stop, Dodson said, offering the example of someone cutting another driver off, then speeding off on the shoulder of a road.
Troopers who write tickets for the violation mark a box that indicates aggressive driving, often leading to stiffer penalties in court, Dodson said.
Since even the most self-involved drivers still keep an eye out for flashing lights, the FHP wasn't always in sight on its patrols.
Dodson said troopers drove unmarked cars known as Marauders and worked with a helicopter patrol. Troopers in the air spotted erratic drivers and measured how fast they were going using markings on the highway. Then, officers on the ground were able to find the car and ticket its driver.
There were no second chances.
Dodson said the troopers were under orders to have zero tolerance for aggressive drivers, as well as for speeding, seat belt and alcohol violations.
The FHP also urged those who see other drivers seemingly under the influence of alcohol or behaving aggressively on the highway over the holidays to call *347 on their cell phones and report the car to the FHP's communication center.
Regularly called to the scene of accidents that can involve entire families, troopers look at the holidays differently than other people, Dodson said. It can be a time of tragedy, he said.
Last year 18 people were killed in traffic crashes between midnight Dec. 24 and the end of Christmas Day, according to FHP statistics. Twenty-five died during the New Year's holiday.