|
Home Search |
Published on Wednesday, November 24, 2004
in the Palatka Daily News
You might want to think twice before you hop into your car this week for Thanksgiving road trips.
The next few days will be the most traffic congested and dangerous of the year for motorists and, barring serious injury or worse, a single poor decision made on the road could result in a ticket, Florida Highway Patrol officials said Tuesday.
At the same time, the highway patrol has also partnered with some local businesses and launched annual danger prevention programs to stave off negative traffic statistics that tend to rise during days of high traffic volume.
Florida Highway Patrol Capt. Brent Coates said additional staff members would be patrolling the roads between today and Monday, watching especially for motorists who speed, drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, drive aggressively or neglect to wear their seatbelts.
"We're hoping to be visible," Coates said.
He said between eight and 10 officers would be working in alternating shifts to cover a three-county area during the holiday weekend.
Because today is the highest traffic volume day of the year, Coates suggested motorists take additional precautions before, during and after putting their foot on the gas pedal.
"We are asking motorists to increase their travel time because the roadways are going to be more congested and, as they day progresses, they'll get even more congested," he said. "People will have to be patient."
He said the state Department of Transportation would open as many lanes as possible that would normally be closed for roadwork in order to increase traffic flow. He also suggested that motorists cruising in the south end of the state and in metropolitan areas watch for message boards warning of driving hazards or delays.
The state highway patrol will also kick off its traditional driver safety programs to help reduce traffic risks during the holiday season, he said. Those programs will begin Dec. 9 — later than usual because the hurricanes postponed their organization of each one, Coates said.
One of the programs includes a partnership with area businesses that offer free nonalcoholic beverages to designated drivers, he said. Another involves an agreement with Johnson's Towing company in Palatka, which offers to take drivers — and their vehicles — home for free if the drivers go out to celebrate and find they've had too much to drink, said Coates.
A third, similar program includes a partnership with Yellow Cab taxi company in Palatka, which offers vouchers for a free ride home if residents realize they drank too much to risk driving home, he said.
The Flagg-Serenity Memorial Chapel is also offering a free funeral to the first person who pre-registers at the funeral home saying they intend to drink and drive, and then dies as a result, Coates said.
He said motorists who speed and drive aggressively are the biggest traffic violators during the Thanksgiving holiday period.
Friday's traffic volume will also be higher than normal, as will Sunday's, which will start out bad and get worse, he said.
"There's no other day that compares with Wednesday," Coates said, mentioning Christmas and New Year's.
Last year's Thanksgiving yielded 48 traffic deaths in the state, said Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Leeper. Of those deaths, 72 percent weren't wearing seatbelts and 30 percent were alcohol-related, Leeper said.
He said 30 additional staff members would be patrolling the FHP's nine-county region including Nassau, Duval, Clay, Bradford, Baker, Union, St. Johns, Flagler and Putnam counties
If you are in an accident or notice someone else is in one, you can call 9-11 or *FHP (347) from a cell phone, officers said.