The Collier County Sheriff's Office has launched a new operation to crack down on aggressive drivers. The operation, which CCSO calls it's Winter Mission Plan, aims to prevent traffic crashes during the busy tourist season.
Deputies conducted a large-scale patrol during a two-hour period Tuesday morning in areas of North Naples, during which they made 128 traffic stops. They handed out over 90 citations, hearing the usual excuses from drivers.
"They're late for appointments, they're late to drop the children off to school," said Sgt. Terry Smith, with the Traffic Division of the Collier County Sheriff's Office. "We need the public's help. We need them to slow down, or leave earlier."
A Fox 4 camera recorded several drivers running red lights at the intersection of Pine Ridge and Airport-Pulling Roads in the space of just a few minutes.
"They're running red lights, and I see it," said driver Gordon Robinson. "I go through on a yellow, and I see two or three cars behind me going through on the red. It's something that's pretty epidemic down here, I think."
"Cell phones are the biggest distraction, and people down here are very impatient," Robinson added.
The Sheriff's Office asks that if you witness unsafe driving, or want to report a problem area for traffic, to call their Traffic Hotline at 239-530-ZOOM (9666.)
