JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Highway Patrol is preparing for a busy New Year’s Eve weekend.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says 37% of New Year’s traffic deaths involve alcohol-impaired drivers. News4JAX rode along with FHP on Friday to learn why they’re keeping that statistic in mind as they work to get impaired drivers off the road.
State Trooper Jordan Capela is hoping people will think twice before deciding to drive impaired.
Trooper Capela has a passion for keeping people safe on the roads. Like many of us, his passion comes from life experience.
“My family was affected by a crash. So anything that I can do to prevent a crash from happening, to save somebody from a death or serious bodily harm, or to alter the course of somebody’s life, because of a decision somebody else made, that’s what we’re out here to do,” Capela said.
That’s not the only experience Trooper Capela keeps with him on the job. Two years ago he worked a crash in Putnam County where an impaired driver rolled her car over. Her boyfriend was the passenger and he was injured with head trauma.
“They were in a fairly new relationship. And it’s just sad, because he hadn’t passed away, but by the time we had gotten to the jail, the call came through the radio, notifying me that the passenger had passed away,” he said. “And had he just had a designated driver or called somebody to come pick them up, you know, he would still be alive today.”
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News4JAX rode along with Trooper Capela on Friday afternoon to talk about the weekend ahead and how FHP is preparing. He said New Year’s Day is the deadliest day for DUI-caused traffic deaths in the country.
“There’s going to be a lot of troopers, a lot of people here in the local area, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office will be out fully staffed, and we have our guys up in Duval,” he said.
Their goal is to make sure no one gets hurt by an impaired driver.
“Sometimes you make it home, but sometimes you crash and sometimes you get caught and our job as a DUI unit is to essentially catch you before you get home and prevent that crash or fatality from happening,” he said.
If you see intoxicated or aggressive drivers you can call FHP at STAR 3-4-7. Also, if you’re in a situation where you’re too impaired to drive this weekend, AAA has their tow-to-go program.