Published on Tuesday, May 1, 2007
in the Melbourne Florida Today

Speeders, be ready to pay more

Capt. Joseph Schmidt of the Florida Highway Patrol thinks an enhanced penalty zone on Interstate 95 in Brevard County is leading motorists to slow down -- and that was before it went into effect.

"We have anecdotal evidence," Schmidt said. "There appears to have been some effect."

Beginning today, drivers along that 31-mile stretch between State Road 528 and the Volusia County line will be fined an extra $50 if they are caught speeding. Troopers said they will stop vehicles going 75 mph to 80 mph on the 70-mph interstate.

Motorists have told troopers that they have noticed the new signs, Schmidt said, and that's not surprising: More than 30 signs along I-95 and on on-ramps were unveiled at the beginning of April to warn people about the new zone.

"A lot of drivers were warned in the last month. They were told that at a certain point they were going to receive a more significant ticket," Schmidt said. "We got calls from people who wanted to know more."

The three-year-pilot program also is being implemented on stretches of I-95 in Palm Beach and Duval counties where clusters of accidents have occurred.

"The goal of the program is to reduce crashes," said Trooper Kim Miller, an FHP spokeswoman. "We don't care if we don't write one extra ticket. But when drivers see those enhanced penalty signs, we want them to pay attention."

About half of the fines collected will be used to make Medicaid payments to nursing homes for brain and spinal cord injuries. The rest will be used to fund certified trauma centers in the three counties where the enhanced zones are being implemented.