PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — For the last two months, the Clearwater Police Department has been increasing its patrols— in an effort to educate drivers and pedestrians on how to co-exist on the roads safely.
ABC Action News rode along with CPD Sgt. Daniel Negersmith says stops can range from reminding pedestrians to use a crosswalk or sidewalk to make sure that they know drivers can see them before stepping into a roadway.
"Make sure you make eye contact with the driver before you walk out in front of the car," he said.
And on the driver's side of things, he says there are plenty who don't stick to the speed limit, among other things.
"What you have is people who will speed. They'll come in and they'll tailgate people. Cut in between cars. And that's what really causes crashes," he said.
The department got a grant to help fund these extra patrols back in November.Since then, Sgt. Negersmith says they've given out nine warnings, written 177 citations, and made 125 "educational stops."
In the end, he says the goal is to preserve life, especially ahead of a busy holiday weekend.
"Right now is the holiday season and the last thing I want to be doing is banging on somebody's explaining to them that they lost a loved one," he said. "The whole goal for me is if I had zero DUI arrests on new year's eve, that would be a plus because it's not saying that my guys aren't working. It's saying that the system is working."
