FHP Targeting Aggressive Drivers on “Killer Krome”

Krome Avenue has been the scene of horrific accidents, is too narrow, there isn’t enough light and drivers can sometimes be quite aggressive. That’s prompted the Florida Highway Patrol to step up enforcement on the road in hopes of changing the road’s reputation.

"See it’s like I get here and hey I gotta pass this guy, I gotta pass this guy,” said Trooper Joe Sanchez. “This is what happens: You have a soft shoulder, so if I were to veer in there; I’m gonna lose control."

So far in 2014, 1,500 tickets have been issued to drivers on the nearly 37 mile road. But still, a dozen people have died on what’s been nicknamed by some as “Killer Krome.” The 2014 numbers are more than the last two years combined.

“Although we’ve been able to reduce accidents; it’s the fatalities that continue to increase,” Trooper Sanchez said. “Because every time you have an accident head on, somebody’s gonna lose their lives.”

FHP said it’s stepped up enforcement will saturate the road with signs and will have three times the number of troopers on patrol. And if that’s isn’t a big enough reminder for drivers, the sight of memorials up and down the road to those who have lost their lives may be an even bigger impetus to slow down.

"His spirit is pushing me,” Rita Rodriguez said. “I don’t think, because I’ve been so busy, that I’ve been able to really take in the fact that he’s gone."

Friday marks eight months since Rita lost her son Anthony. He was killed in a head-on collision on Krome Avenue near 144th Street. Since then, Rita said she has lobbied hard for the aggressive driving campaign and says FDOT needs to do even more.

"It’s a step. It’s a really late step,” Rodriguez said. “This roads been a problem for 20 or 30 years and I think this campaign should have been in place a lot longer and it shouldn’t have taken my mourning in public to do that"

There will be a memorial over the weekend for all the lives lost on Krome Avenue. The decades old road is also slated for an upgrade with construction set to begin in December. The construction will widen lanes and add a median. FHP said the aggressive driving campaign will run through February.

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