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Published on Wednesday, November 24, 2004
in the Hernando Today
The Bear will be in the air.
The "Bear" is the nickname of the Florida Highway Patrol's aircraft that patrols the skies on holidays. Trooper Larry Coggins, public information officer for Troop C of the FHP, said it will be up and flying over the holiday weekend.
"The aircraft will be patrolling Interstate 75 in Hernando County, as well as along the Suncoast Parkway," Coggins said.
The FHP began a weekend long campaign Wednesday to enforce traffic safety as one of the busiest weekends of the year for traffic began.
Coggins said the enforcement would end Sunday night. In the meantime, the FHP is suspending administration duties and all extra patrolmen are out on the roads patrolling.
Coggins expected bumper-to-bumper traffic on Interstate 75 Wednesday and part of Thursday, then a repeat of clogged roads, especially the interstates, as the holidays ends Sunday.
The enforcement is part of a statewide campaign that will hopefully decrease the number of traffic fatalities.
Last year, Coggins said, there were 48 people killed in Florida during the Thanksgiving holiday. Twenty-one victims were not wearing seatbelts and 14 of the deaths were alcohol related.
So a majority of the fatalities might have been preventable, he said. "It's a pretty simple combination," Coggins said. "Don't drink and drive and buckle up."
The Florida Highway Patrol gives these tips for highway safety:
* Leave early and give yourself time
* Report aggressive or impaired drivers to the highway patrol. The FHP can be reached by dialing *FHP on cell phones
* Ensure vehicles are in tip-top shape before beginning a road trip