You’ve heard the warnings, but you may still text and drive. Thursday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is cracking down on distracted and aggressive driving in crash hot zones.
Extra patrols will be at stationed at Parson Avenue between SR 60 and MLK Jr. Blvd. and SR 60 between Parsons and Dover Rd starting at 7 a.m.
Deputies may not be able to pull you over just for distracted driving, but they can tack that on to speeding or not wearing your seatbelt.
Radar, laser technology and just plain know-how help Corporal Michael Sullivan pull over drivers who aren’t doing what they should be on the road.
“Sometimes you scratch your head and wonder why people do things that they do but you wish you could be in the car with them all the time and maybe take their phone from them,” Sullivan said.
Thursday, deputies my not be in the car with you, but they will be out on patrol in two areas identified as crash hot spots.
“Drive safely it’s a holiday weekend coming up, and most importantly, I couldn’t tell if you were wearing that, so make sure you put your seatbelt on,” Sullivan told a driver he pulled over.
Sullivan said holiday weekends like the Fourth of July can mean impaired driving, texting friends behind the wheel and even more crashes. That’s why deputies are warning drivers now.
“If we prevent one crash, then that to us, that’s a huge success, if we have none, that’s even bigger,” he said.
Sullivan said they will be targeting different crash hot spots every week, trying to get you to slow down and put your phone away.
