Escambia County law enforcement crack down on Highway 97 speeding problems - WEAR

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. -- Deputies say they plan to crack down on speeding on Highway 97 in northern Escambia County.

Over the last week, three people were killed in a wreck on the road.

It is now prompting the Department of Transportation to make some changes.

FHP reported 23 wrecks have happened on Highway 97 over the last five years -- nine of them just last year.

Jim Colley lives along Highway 97 out here in northern Escambia County and says there's a speeding problem.

"We have grandchildren here," Colley said. "I'm afraid to even let my grandchildren come near the mailbox because they can leave the road at any time."

Colley said one of the accidents nearly ended up in his front yard. He says a car lost control and crashed into a fence across the street.

"If they can put a passing zone where people can pass that would be helpful because there’s none here," Colley said.

FDOT has announced plans to add more signs and markers as well as rumble strips to make the road safer.

In the wake of Saturday's accident, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office says they've increased patrols and placed these speed display boards along the roadway.

The sheriff's office says a number of tickets have been issued to speeders over the last couple of days.

FHP also plans to increase it's presence along the road.

Lieutenant Jason King of the Florida Highway Patrol says covering all of Florida's roads is a difficult task.

"It’s extremely difficult so we try and partner with all the local police departments and sheriffs offices and kind of work together yes we have a lot of crashes we do all throughout the day we only have a certain number of staff that work the roads within a shift," King said.

FHP is urging people to slow down and be aware of their surroundings.

If you have a speeding concern in your area, you're asked to report it to you local law enforcement agency.

source: https://weartv.com/news/local/escambia-county-law-enforcement-crack-down-on-highway-97-speeding-problems

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