Published on Saturday, December 31, 2005
in the Ft. Myers News-Press

Road patrols set to double over holiday

As the deadliest year on Lee County roads comes to a close, law enforcement officials in east Lee County are preparing to crack down on those who drive under the influence of alcohol and other controlled substances this holiday.

East District substation commander Capt. Ed Tamayo said the substation will be beefing up patrols in Lehigh, pairing up trainees with seasoned deputies and assigning deputies from specialty units to traffic patrol.

"We should have hopefully double the coverage," Tamayo said.

There have been a record 143 traffic deaths in Lee County this year, though authorities have not determined how many of those are alcohol-related.

The previous high was 121 in 2003.

Alcohol-related traffic fatalities have increased every year since 1999, according to sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Larry King. According to preliminary data, more than 1,050 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in 2004 statewide.

Lee Boulevard, Lehigh's main connection to the rest of the county, is known for its high amount of speeding and accidents, and the amount of accidents that are alcohol-related, according to Sgt. Jerry Cantrell of the sheriff's traffic unit.

"For the amount of traffic, there is a high frequency on Lee Boulevard," Cantrell said.

Cantrell helped organize a sobriety checkpoint that routed 541 vehicles through the Wal-Mart parking lot on Lee Boulevard and netted three drunken driving arrests in July.

The Florida Highway Patrol is enacting a zero tolerance policy for the holiday.

All FHP office workers who are qualified for road duty will be temporarily reassigned to interstates and other major roads statewide, according to FHP director Col. Chris Knight.

According to FHP, 33 people died in traffic crashes last year in the three-day Christmas period, and 38 people were killed during the 72-hour timeframe around New Year's Day statewide.

FHP also is continuing its "You Drink and Drive. You Lose" DUI crackdown, which started Dec. 10.

Motorists can report dangerous drivers by calling *FHP or check on road conditions by calling 511 from a cell phone.