Published on Friday, December 23, 2005
in the Miami Herald

Police promise crackdown on dangerous driving

Today could be a really bad day if you're prone to misbehave -- especially by drinking -- while driving South Florida's dangerous Interstate 95.

Besides the fact that the road will be crowded and a crash could ruin your life, drivers on I-95 will see one of the biggest assortments ever of traffic cops -- Florida Highway Patrol troopers and officers from many local departments in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

''We can't be all things to all people but we decided to take back just one road,'' FHP Lt. Pat Santangelo said Thursday.

Operation ''Staying Alive On I-95 2005'' is a massive crackdown on speeding, non-use of seat belts and reckless, aggressive and drunk driving.

''If we don't write a thousand tickets, I'll be surprised,'' Santangelo said.

Hundreds of police from Miami to Jacksonville will saturate I-95 for the day-long event. The South Florida campaign starts at 7 a.m.

At 8 p.m. in Miami-Dade County, more police and troopers will roll onto I-95, I-195 and I-395 in a DUI crackdown. They plan to use three mobile testing and processing facilities, called ''BAT Mobiles,'' Santangelo said. That will help police get back on the road quickly to catch more drunks, he said. The DUI squads will work until 4 a.m.

Though it extends for just 14 miles through eastern Miami-Dade, I-95 has had 15 fatal crashes this year, 20 percent of the 70 the FHP has handled countywide.

''You've got motorcycles running over a hundred miles an hour passing you just inches from your left and right,'' Santangelo said. Trucks are dropping debris in front of students and moms flying to school, he continued.

''It is not unusual to have 100 crashes on I-95 in Miami-Dade County in a 24-hour period if the weather is bad,'' Santangelo said.

Police in Broward will be busy on I-95, though not in as great a number because the population is a bit smaller, FHP Lt. Bill Ferrell said.

So far this year there have been 22 fatal crashes on Broward's 31 miles of I-95, he said.

''Seat belts are always a priority for us,'' Ferrell said. ``We have many fatal crashes where people are not wearing seat belts. Yes, we will be enforcing the seat belt law strictly.''

Driving on I-95 can be intimidating, officers say.

''Motorists express the feelings of nervousness or flat out feelings of being at risk on 95,'' said Lt. Tim Frith, an FHP spokesman for the troop that covers Palm Beach and Broward counties. ``To many of our senior motorists it is a very confusing and stressful and dangerous event for them to travel on I-95.''

Which is why there will be so many police out there.