ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Unsafe drivers are on our roads every day. Now, more law enforcement are working to stop them.
For a third year, local police, deputies and state troopers are zoning in on areas with the most crashes. It's part of the Enhanced Law Enforcement Engagement Program (ELEE).
Now, the St. Petersburg Police Department is joining in on the effort.
In a press release, St. Petersburg police said in a statement:
"To make St. Petersburg roadways safer, the St. Petersburg Police Department is partnering with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Seven through an Enhanced Law Enforcement Engagement (ELEE) program. From July 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025, The St. Petersburg Police Department will expand its presence on state roadways with high crash rates to increase public awareness of the importance of safe driving."
The main roadways affected in St. Petersburg include Gandy Blvd., Roosevelt Blvd., 4th Street and the Pinellas Bayway.
"We're going to be out here and we're going to be out here frequently. We're going to do it in different methods," said St. Petersburg Traffic Sergeant Michael Schade. "We're seeing a lot of a lot of speeding, a lot of running red lights, a lot of distracted driving with cell phone use. Unfortunately, it's way more prevalent than it should be."
The focus areas of ELEE include:
- Intersection violations
- Driving under the influence (DUI)
- Speeding, aggressive and distracted driving
- Lane departure
- Work zone violations
- Move over violations
FDOT District Seven launched the ELEE program in 2022 to expand its efforts to improve traffic safety.
The purpose is to partner with local first responder agencies to reduce crashes and injuries on the state roads and federal highways FDOT District Seven manages.