CLEARWATER, Fla. — Sgt. Daniel Negersmith with the Clearwater Police Department said he really doesn’t want to hand out tickets.
“If your first words out of your mouth are, 'Why did you stop me?' you're gonna get a ticket. You might get two," he said.
He said a good attitude on a traffic stop goes a long way.
“If you are nice to me. I’m going to give you a warning in most cases. In some cases, I can’t," said Negersmith.
The 25-year veteran gave out both warnings and tickets Wednesday as law enforcement in Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando counties targeted aggressive drivers and speeders on U.S. 19, known as one of the nation's most dangerous stretches of road.
“Cars are weaving in and out of traffic and traveling at a high rate of speed, and they cause car crashes. So the whole mission today is about aggressive driving to educate drivers to get them to slow down," said Negersmith.
Wednesday, we saw as Negersmith was about to pull over one speeder, another driver passed him at 71 miles an hour.
He got a warning for that but a ticket for an expired tag.
Another man with multiple arrests on his record went to jail for driving with a suspended license.
Overall, 415 traffic stops were conducted, leading to 323 citations, 159 warnings, and eight criminal charges.
As all these traffic stops occur, dozens of drivers ignore the move-over act.
“See how uncomfortable it is having that truck go by you like that," he asked a driver.
Florida law says you have to move over a lane when you can safely do so for stopped law enforcement and other official vehicles.
If you can’t get over, the law says you must slow down to 20 miles per hour below the speed limit.
“That’s where most people falter because they don’t slow down," said Negersmith.
Negersmith said now is a great time to remind everyone to drive slower and safer since school starts Thursday in many areas in Florida. He wants to see everyone get where they are going.
