Published on Thursday, March 2, 2006
in the WFTV News

Highway Patrol Starts Two-Day Campaign To Curtail Speeding

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Drivers will see more state troopers patrolling Florida's highways through Friday in an attempt to curtail speeders, officials said.

Troopers on motorcycles and in unmarked patrol cars will track speeders using radar and video cameras. They will also patrol from the air, spotting speeders from planes and sending grounded troopers their way.

"We'll have strong emphasis on speeding," Col. Chris Knight said. "Our emphasis is to save lives, not to issue citations."

And troopers will look for motorists who don't move over or slow down for patrol cars that have stopped on the shoulder or median and have their lights flashing. Another trooper will be stationed further up the road from the first traffic stop to catch violators. This comes after a Broward County sheriff's deputy died last month when he was struck as he exited his patrol car during a traffic stop on Interstate 595.

The intensified patrol is part of an awareness campaign that state officials launched Thursday to reduce traffic deaths in Florida, which are up by nearly 8 percent from the same time last year.