ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg Police Department tried to get a handle on speeding drivers and get people to remember the rules of the road Tuesday.
One after another, drivers paid the price of going too fast. Sasha Munoz learned that lesson the hard way with a $206 ticket. She said police pulled her over for going 53mph in a 40mph speed limit zone.
“I was very surprised,” Munoz said. “I didn’t even see him at all. He came out of nowhere.”
St. Pete Police worked a special traffic operation Tuesday to crack down on speeding, focusing on the city’s west side, primarily the Tyrone area.
By 4:30 p.m., officers issued 212 citations and 32 warnings.
Today #StPetePD will be conducting a traffic operation to crack down on speeding. Officers will be focusing on the west side of the city, primarily the Tyrone area, starting at 7am and continuing throughout the day. pic.twitter.com/kngKEvdIdq
— St. Pete Police (@StPetePD) April 26, 2022
“We’re not out here trying to punish you,” Sgt. Michael Schade said. “We’re trying to keep people safe, and driving those excessive speeds is a very dangerous thing that’s happening in our city right now.”
ABC Action News spoke to Sgt. Schade at the corner of 38th Avenue North and 66th Street. St. Pete Police said this intersection has been the number one intersection in the city for crashes so far this year, with 22 crashes total through the end of March.
“Some have been serious injury crashes," he said. "Some have been minor crashes, and again, it’s related to speed, it’s related to running the red light, it’s related to distracted driving, being on your cellphones.".
St. Pete PD also shared on social media that speeding 20mph over for 10 miles saves about four minutes and costs a $281 ticket, asking drivers if it’s worth it.
“Please slow down, obey the traffic laws, stay off your cellphones because those are the things that are causing these crashes, and they have a significant impact on people’s lives,” Sgt. Schade said.
Even those who ended up with a ticket in hand admit it’s an important issue to get under control.
“I am glad that they’re out because there’s a lot of people that are out here that are driving more than over 50 and are getting in accidents, killing people, so I am glad,” Munoz said.
