Published on Thursday, September 7, 2006
in the Charlotte Sun-Herald

Early numbers show decline in Labor Day deaths

While the numbers show a decline in the amount of Labor Day deaths on the road, Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Doug Dodson said it's too soon to celebrate.

"These are preliminary numbers," he said Wednesday. "These are from the wrecks we investigated. Local law enforcement agencies are still reporting."

According to a preliminary fatality report released Tuesday, 16 people died in Florida from Friday through Monday. Charlotte County had one fatality when Buster L. Cosby, 36, of Fort Myers, died after his car overturned around 11 p.m. Friday and slid into a water-filled drainage ditch off State Road 31 near the Lee County line.

Charlotte County had no Labor Day weekend road deaths in 2005.

Cosby was not wearing a seat belt, and it is unknown whether alcohol was a factor in the crash.

Three of the 16 fatal crashes in the state were known to be alcohol-related, although some are still pending blood test results.

But what stands out for Dodson was that 91 percent of those killed were not wearing their seat belts.

"That's alarming," he said.

But Dodson is still encouraged by the preliminary numbers.

"Did we make an impact on the public? Yes, we did," he said. "Did people take notice and get the warning? I believe they did."

FHP troopers worked a total of 1,615 wrecks during the weekend throughout Florida. Out of those nonfatal wrecks, 102 were alcohol-related.

Locally, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office held a DUI checkpoint over the holiday weekend that resulted in two DUI arrests.

The checkpoint started Friday at 11 p.m. at U.S. 41 and Forrest Nelson Boulevard for all northbound traffic and ended Saturday morning at 3 a.m. According to the CCSO, 717 vehicles entered the checkpoint site in the Mid-County Public Library parking lot. There were 31 citations issued and 43 warnings issued. Sixteen people were administered field sobriety tests. There were two under-21 alcohol violations and a total of nine misdemeanor arrests.

"The purpose of the checkpoint is for the apprehension of impaired drivers and for public education and awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence," said Sheriff John Davenport.

Other than the checkpoint, CCSO deputies arrested two other people for DUI during the weekend, and the FHP and the Punta Gorda Police Department made one arrest each