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Published on Friday, December 24, 2004
in the Lake City Reporter
As with every holiday season, more travelers on the road means more law enforcement officers patrolling.
This year they are keeping an eye out for drunk drivers along with those driving aggressively.
More than 3 million people are expected to travel on the roadways in Florida through Christmas and New Year's Day, according to AAA Auto Club South.
"We can already see the increased traffic," said Lt. Mike Burroughs, Florida Highway Patrol spokesman.
Burroughs said they are taking an "aggressive stance" and "declaring war" on aggressive driving.
Administrative duties were suspended Thursday and more overtime is available to encourage more troopers to work. Between six to eight extra troopers will patrol in Lake City each day, he said.
Starting on Dec. 17, FHP began Operation Safe Streets, which consisted of six hand-picked troopers to be on the lookout for drunk drivers, Burroughs said. As of Wednesday, they made 14 DUI arrests. Twelve of the arrests occurred during the weekend.
Burroughs said a usual weekend yields about two DUI arrests.
Drunk driving can be the result of several factors, including holiday parties and stress. He said that people have the misconception that everyone is happy and upbeat during the holiday season.
"But what we see in our field is that that doesn't always hold true," Burroughs said.
As a result of financial or family stress, people can turn to alcohol and then get on the roads.
For those not fighting the holiday blues and just attending parties, Burroughs advised people to plan ahead. He suggested having a designated driver lined up before the night begins. Most of the DUI drivers they see are "novice drinkers" who don't plan to drink and haven't made driving arrangements.
The Columbia County Community Traffic Safety Team has partnered with area restaurants for the fifth year to provide nonalcoholic drinks free of charge from Thursday until Jan. 1 to designated drivers.
Participating restaurants are Applebees, Beef O'Brady's, Phish Heads, Porterhouse Grill, Red Lobster, R.J. Gator's, Ruby Tuesday, Texas Roadhouse and Tuckers.
Gina Busscher, a public information officer for the Florida Department of Transportation, said for the past few years there have been no alcohol-related fatalities during the season.