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Published on Monday, September 2, 2002
in the Charlotte Sun Herald
Joining the statewide trend of placing more officers on patrol during busy holiday weekends, the Florida Highway Patrol announced it would shut down all office operations until Tuesday and use the extra personnel for patrol throughout the holiday.
"The emphasis we have placed on increased visibility and enforcement during major holiday periods over the last 15 months has paid immeasurable dividends for the public we serve," said Colonel Knight of FHP headquarters in Tallahassee."
FHP promises more officers on the road throughout the state, including Southwest Florida, in an effort to decrease traffic-related fatalities.
According to statistics released by the FHP, during the previous two major holidays, Memorial Day and July 4, 18 people were killed in traffic crashes. In the past, numbers reached as high as 48 fatalities.
"We hope to make the last official holiday of the summer season safe for those traveling throughout Florida," Knight added.
Over the Labor Day weekend last year, 22 people were killed in traffic crashes. The holiday weekend, based on the FHP, begins on Friday and extends through Tuesday morning.
So far this year, eight individuals have perished on DeSoto County roadways, which is equal to statistics for August 2001. In neighboring Charlotte County, 19 fatalities have been reported so far in 2002, up from 11 reported over the same period last year and Sarasota officials have reported 10 more deaths so far than August of 2001 -- for a total of 33 fatalities thus far in 2002.
Of the 22 people killed over the 2001 Labor Day weekend, 57 percent were not wearing seat belts and 36 percent of the traffic deaths were alcohol-related. Four of those 22 fatalities were people under the age of 21.
"Troopers on patrol after dark will be targeting drunk drivers at planned DUI checkpoint operations or through concentrated DUI wolfpack patrols," Knight said.
Motorists are encouraged to call the FHP at *FHP (*347) from any cell phone to report reckless or aggressive driving.
The following information was released by the Florida Highway Patrol:
* It is against the law to not buckle up in Florida. The law is secondary enforcement, meaning if a driver is pulled over for another violation and is not buckled, he will receive a ticket.
* Air bags provide only supplemental crash protection in frontal or head-on crashes.
* Safety belts and child safety seats help prevent injury by preventing ejection, shifting crash forces to the strongest parts of the body's structure, spreading forces over a wider area of the body, allowing the body to slow down gradually and protecting the head and spinal cord.
* Traffic crashes are the number one killer of young children. Six out of 10 children who die in crashes are unrestrained. Proper usage of safety seats can reduce fatalities by 70 percent.
* In 2001, more than 562,000 Floridians were involved in traffic crashes. Of those who weren't buckled up, nearly 50 percent were injured or killed.
* A similar study showed that of the 2,091 killed in crashes, 64 percent were not buckled up.
* Florida law says children three years old and younger must be in a federally approved child safety seat and 4- to 5-year olds must be in a child safety seat, booster seat or safety belt. Children 6 through 17 must be buckled in the front or back seat and adults over 18 must wear a safety belt while driving or riding in the front seat.
* Traffic crashes involving unfastened individuals cause everyone to pay higher health care and insurance costs.
Sources: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Operation America Buckles Up Children and FDOT.