Published on Tuesday, November 22, 2005
in the Naples Daily News

FHP will target speeders before Thanksgiving holiday

Another program aimed at reducing traffic fatalities statewide will kick off today, when the Florida Highway Patrol begins a 48-hour initiative that will flood roads with troopers looking to cut down on speeders.

Troopers hit the roads as part of the FHP’s Operation Safe Ride. The enforcement initiative is the fifth phase in a series of programs that began last year to tackle problems on Florida roads, said FHP spokesman Lt. Doug Dodson. In the past, troopers have focused energy on aggressive drivers and commercial vehicles.

During the campaign troopers from all over the FHP, including those normally assigned to administration duty, will be out en masse, Dodson said.

“It’s kind of like we put everyone in a football huddle and tell them to focus on this goal,” Dodson said.

Troopers across the state will focus efforts today and Wednesday to curtail unsafe driving before the Thanksgiving holiday.

“There is an enormous belief that it’s OK to drive 10 to 15 mph over the posted limit,” said Col. Chris Knight, director of the FHP.

“We want to make clear that this belief is not only wrong, it is dangerous. Motorists need to recognize that speeding increases the likelihood of a crash and its severity.”

Thanksgiving is an especially dangerous time on Florida roads, Dodson said. Last year 48 people were killed in a 100-hour period from Wednesday to Sunday during Thanksgiving week. It is common for the state to take weeks to reach that many deaths, Dodson added.

A record number of traffic fatalities have been reported across the state, Dodson said. Unofficial numbers show that 3,035 motorists have died on Florida roads this year, compared to 2,755 at this time last year. The biggest discrepancy is in Lee County, where 131 people have already died on roads, compared to 81 at this time last year.

In Lee County operations will focus on Interstate 75 and U.S. 41, where the most travelers are expected. There will also be extra patrols on Alligator Alley.

Deputies can legally write a ticket to anyone going more than two mph over the limit, but they will not be that particular, Dodson said.

In Lee County speeding citations range from $25 for six to nine mph over the limit to $250 for more than 30 mph over the limit.

Operation Safe Ride is coinciding with the Click It or Ticket campaign which runs through Nov. 30.