Sheriff: More tickets, fewer accidents

Year to date statistics for 2007 compared to the same period in 2006 show a sharp decline in the number of traffic crashes and fatalities in Lee County. At the same time, the number of tickets and warnings given out by deputies is up.

Through June 30 (semi-annual report), Lee County recorded 4472 crashes, a 12 percent decline from the same time frame in 2006. Traffic fatalities dropped even more dramatically, from 66 in the first half of 2006 to 48 in the first half of 2007 for a 27 percent reduction.

During the same periods, the number of traffic tickets and warnings issued by deputies rose. In the first half of 2006, deputies handed out 33,918 tickets and 17,703 warnings. For the same period in 2007, deputies gave 36,514 tickets (up 8 percent) and 21,417 warnings (up 21 percent).

The correlation of more tickets to fewer accidents and fatalities is no coincidence, said Sheriff Mike Scott, who made traffic enforcement a top priority when he took office in 2005.

"Traffic enforcement is a great mechanism for us to not only change driver behavior and save lives, but also to disrupt criminal activity, since most criminals use vehicles in furtherance of their crimes," he said. ¦