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Published on Sunday, August 31, 2003
in the Tallahassee Democrat
Sgt. Steven Hooppell is no Smokey on the prowl. He wants his Florida Highway Patrol car to be seen by motorists.
Cruising Saturday on U.S. Highway 27 in eastern Leon County, Hooppell said he hopes the sight of the yellow-and-black patrol car will strike responsibility in the hearts of travelers.
"Visibility deters," Hooppell said.
The Florida Highway Patrol is seeking a lot of visibility and deterrence this holiday weekend. Up to 200 more troopers are on the roads to make Labor Day safer, the agency says.
Forty-two people were killed in traffic crashes in Florida last year. Troopers this year said they will be focusing their efforts on drunken, speeding and aggressive drivers and those who fail to buckle up children.
Dianne Ivester of Tallahassee found that out. She was zipping along woodsy State Road 59 south of Lloyd in Jefferson County when Hooppell put on the blue lights.
She was cited for going 69 mph in a 55-mph zone. The ticket could end up costing her $123.
"It's not a big deal," Ivester said. "Like I said, I knew I was speeding. I was in a hurry."
The Florida Highway Patrol usually has five troopers and a supervisor on duty in Leon County, Hooppell said. Even when FHP isn't advertising an enforcement campaign, he said, troopers still are out there pulling over speeders.
Troopers can be tucked away in the woods on an Interstate 10 median or waiting just over the next hill. But Hooppell said he usually likes to be seen.
"We want high visibility on the interstate," he said. "With all the traffic out there, we don't want any crashes."
A 19-year FHP veteran, Hooppell said there seem to be more aggressive drivers on Leon County's highways.
"They are frustrated and have an anger when they are driving," he said. "It's like they have an extreme hurry to get somewhere. And everyone has to get out of the way."
When he stops a driver, he explains the law and asks them to be more careful. And he often drops a couple of miles per hour off their cited speed to help lighten the fine.
Ivester said people should know Hooppell was "extremely nice" even though he gave her a ticket. Her gray Mazda 626 had a sticker in the window that read, "Think twice, drive nice."
Hooppell said he hopes the encounter has an effect on drivers, but he added that he has no way of knowing if that happens. Given the crash-related injuries and fatalities he's seen, he wishes people would slow down without having to see his car.
"The tragedy that happens out here happens in just a split second," he said.