FHP, law enforcement increase patrol of I-95 corridor along East Coast

Law enforcement agencies across the Eastern Seaboard states increased patrols of Interstate 95 to try to reduce the number of accidents during March 24-29, a Spring Break week when many people, particularly college students, are on the highway.

Florida Highway Patrol collaborated with state police, highway patrols and other local law enforcement from each state as part of an initiative called “Safe 95.”

“Our challenge to ourselves and our partner agencies is to reduce traffic crashes along one of the busiest highways in our Interstate system,” said Col. David Brierton, FHP director.

During the first three days, law enforcement agencies focused on enforcing commercial vehicle safety. Four of the 10 states with the highest commercial motor vehicle fatalities are along the I-95 corridor, including Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia and New York. In 2014, more than 30,000 crashes in Florida involved a large truck or bus, resulting in 218 deaths.

The last three days of the campaign focused on motorist behavior: distracted driving, seat belt usage and speeding and impaired driving.

In 2014, Florida had more than 42,000 crashes and 212 deaths due to distracted driving. More than 14,000 crashes resulted in 572 deaths owing to someone not wearing a seat belt and more than 10,000 crashes and 247 deaths were due to speeding. More than 17,000 crashes and 782 deaths were the result of impaired driving.

This story was originally published March 29, 2015 at 2:21 PM with the headline "FHP, law enforcement increase patrol of I-95 corridor along East Coast."