South Daytona, FL – A Florida Department of Transportation grant should help keep South Daytona’s streets safer for the next 6 months or so.
Members of the South Daytona Police Department took to the streets on Monday in the first day of a traffic enforcement operation aimed at reducing accidents – especially the fatal kind – between vehicles and pedestrians or bicyclists.
SDPD Chief Ronald Wright says the $10,000 grant will fund officers for extra patrols along the US 1 corridor and those officers will be paying special attention for any traffic violations.
“We know that people are not always aware of the rules and regulations for the proper operation of a bicycle on city streets,” Wright added. “Our primary emphasis is to educate and promote safety.”
Most of the special patrols – to be done around 2 to 3 times a month until the money runs out – will be during the morning and afternoon rush, focusing especially on school zones.
SDPD isn’t planning to issue citations at first, instead opting for an educational approach when violators are pulled over. But citations will eventually be issued as the operation moves forward, especially if SDPD finds repeat offenders, according to SDPD Officer Matt Minaberry.
All the officers taking part will get special training and will distribute educational materials as part of the campaign, per Minaberry.
The grant was awarded after the 2015 FDOT Highway Safety Matrix ranked South Daytona in the top 25% of bicycle-related injuries for Florida cities with similar populations.
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.