As the holiday season inches closer, and amid fatality tallies that put historical highs on watch for deaths on Southwest Florida roads, authorities are reminding motorists they are constantly searching for the Christmas Grinch.
Lt. Greg Bueno, spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol, alerted of the search for impaired drivers, reckless drivers, aggressive drivers and street racers, among others.
“Stopping you before you hurt someone is our number one Christmas wish,” Bueno said. He added that last year, during November and December there were 1,048 crashes involving drugs or alcohol, or a combination of both, statewide.
Bueno said the Florida Highway Patrol’s local bureau in March instituted their elite DUI squad, which he dubbed the “grinch busters.”
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He said there are six troopers solely focused on finding “impaired grinches” before they bring a tragedy to someone else. In eight months, Bueno said, troopers in the specialized squad have made nearly 500 drunken or impaired driving arrests.
“A tragedy typically takes one grinch making a series, or even just one bad choice, and someone else completely innocent, just driving down the road as a victim,” Bueno said.
Fort Myers Police Chief Jason Fields, Cape Coral Police Sgt. Charles Mills and Dr. Maria Alfaro, trauma surgeon at Lee Health, also spoke about what it takes to be a safe driver and the devastating effects of a wreck resulting in jury or death.
In 2022, Lee County crashes saw the highest death toll in more than 10 years with 135 fatalities, while last year the county tallied 120 deaths. This year, the county reports 113 deaths as of Dec. 5.
As for Collier County, so far the jurisdiction reports at least 55 road fatalities this year, which is the highest in the last six years.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: SW FL authorities search for impaired, aggressive drivers