County ranks among top 25 in state for traffic crashes resulting in serious and fatal injuries to pedestrians, bicyclists
Once again, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has received funding for a High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) initiative related to pedestrian and bicycle safety, the agency has announced.
Extra patrol details will begin on Friday, Aug. 29, and extend through May 8, 2026, the Sheriff’s Office says in a news release.
“Sarasota County ranks in the top 25 counties in Florida for traffic crashes resulting in serious and fatal injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists,” the release points out. “To protect the safety of vulnerable road users,” it adds, the Sheriff’s Office will conduct HVE details to increase awareness of and compliance with traffic laws that protect the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. Enforcement efforts will focus primarily on education; however, violations may result in warnings or citations,” the release notes.
The details will focus “on predetermined locations based on statistical crash data,” the release adds. Those areas follow:
- Bahia Vista Street from Graber Avenue to Tara Vista Avenue.
- Tamiami Trail South from Gulf Gate Drive to Upper Elmwood Avenue.
- Midnight Pass Road from Seaside Drive to Dolphin Bay Way.
- Tamiami Trail South from Pocono Trail East to Palmetto Road East.
- Tamiami Trail South from West Seminole Drive to Shamrock Drive.
- Clark Road from Gateway Avenue to Beneva Road.
- Tamiami Trail South from Seaboard Avenue to Alligator Drive.
- Tamiami Trail South from Bayshore Road to Gulf Avenue.
- Bee Ridge Road from Beneva Road to Radnor Place.
- Fruitville Road from McIntosh Road to Richardson Way.
- Tamiami Trail South from Corporation Way to Gulf Coast Boulevard.
- Tamiami Trail South from Collins Road to Roberts Road.
“Drivers are encouraged to always obey speed limits, never drive impaired, and watch out for pedestrians and bicyclists,” the release points out. “Bicyclists should obey traffic laws, ride in the direction of traffic, and use lights at night. Pedestrians are asked to cross in crosswalks or at intersections, obey pedestrian signals, and make sure they are visible to drivers when walking at night,” the release adds.
“Funding for this initiative is provided through a contract with the University of North Florida and the Institute of Police Technology and Management,” in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the release explains.
The funding will pay for overtime hours “to conduct operations and special training on Florida’s bicycle and pedestrian laws, procedures, and best practices,” the release says.
FDOT’s annual report for the 2023 fiscal year — the most recent that The Sarasota News Leader could find during an online search includes details about the department’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan for 2021-2025. That plan, the document says, made “[e]liminating roadway fatalities … the highest priority of FDOT and [its] traffic safety partners.”
It adds, “Florida recognizes achieving zero fatalities and serious injuries will not be easy and will require commitment, energy, and innovation. We also acknowledge that some policies, procedures, and practices must change; business as usual is not enough and systemic changes are needed to make meaningful progress.”
“This priority focuses on motor vehicle safety and includes pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, micromobility device users, and transit users [on] the roadway system,” as well as those using connections between the roadway system and other modes of transportation, the report continues.
“The personal and societal costs of traffic crashes in Florida today are unacceptably high,” the document points out. “More than 3,000 Florida residents and visitors die in a traffic crash each year, and an average of 16,000 are seriously injured,” it says. “Crashes involving fatalities, serious injuries, and property damage also take a toll on our quality of life, economy, and impede the efficiency and reliability of our transportation system,” the document adds.