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Published on Wednesday, November 24, 2004
in the Ft. Myers News-Press
Greg Lopez plans to pack up his 1985 Toyota tonight for a Thanksgiving trip to St. Petersburg.
The 29-year-old from North Fort Myers will join about two million Floridians who will hit the roads this holiday to spend time with friends and family more than 50 miles away.
"I haven't traveled in Florida on a holiday yet so I don't know how bad the traffic will be," said Lopez, who moved from Connecticut about eight months ago.
Officials warn that it will be crowded.
"Our biggest problems are the day before (Thanksgiving) and last day of the holiday," said Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Doug Dodson.
To combat the jump in drivers and the potential for more crashes, all troopers ¯ even those assigned to desk duties ¯ will be patrolling the interstates from midnight today to midnight Sunday. An airplane will be used to catch speeders and careless drivers along Interstate 75 in Southwest Florida.
"Our goal is to be visible during the holidays," Dodson said.
Last year, troopers doled out 11,000 citations for traffic violations in Florida during the Thanksgiving holiday period. Of those, 8,744 were for speeding; 2,080 for safety belt and child restraint violations and 123 drivers were arrested for driving under the influence, according to the FHP.
Officials' main goal is to reduce the number of fatalities. Last year, 48 people were killed in 47 crashes in Florida during the holiday.
So far this year, the total number of deaths on Lee County roads are down with 87 fatalities as of Nov. 1. Last year, a total of 99 people had died on local roads during the same time.
It's hard to say what causes the increases and decreases each year, Dodson said.
"If we did, we could bottle it and save people's lives," he said.
To help ease traffic woes, most construction done on the state's interstates will be stopped from today until Sunday, according to Florida Department of Transportation. Road Rangers who offer aid to motorists with disabled cars will be on hand.
On the Florida Turnpike, several programs will be offered to encourage safe driving. From 10 a.m. to noon today at the Fort Pierce service plaza, officials will be passing out Verizon cell phone hands-free devices from 10 a.m. to noon. Drivers can get a free cup of coffee at certain times between today and Sunday at any turnpike plaza (except Snapper Creek) if they promise the attendant that they and their passengers will buckle up.