Lieutenant Channing Taylor has seen his fair share of dangerous driving throughout his career. And there was no exception on Wednesday afternoon even for a situation such as a routine stop.

  • FHP, Brevard Sheriff's Office holds crackdown on I-95
  • Part of the Arrive Alive program
  • There have been 7 fatal crashes so far this year

"We actually had a car that changed into my lane back there and then, at the last minute, she realized she shouldn't have done that and moved back,” said Lt. Taylor. “Waiting for those vehicles, I got to constantly think about where I'm going to go."

Between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., he and other members of law enforcement, including the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, were focused mainly on I-95.

They pulled over drivers they felt were distracted or reckless.

Florida Highway Patrol says that's been so rampant in the last couple of years along I-95 throughout Brevard County they decided to resurrect the "Arrive Alive" program which hasn't been active since the 1970s.

"By collaborating with the sheriff's department and other agencies, we are able to get more officers out there by concentrating on a certain area,” said Lt. Taylor. “And we're getting the message out that the aggressive driving and the improper driving behaviors will not be tolerated, and we want our citizens to be safe."

Just last year there were 13 fatal accidents along I-95 in Brevard County alone. As of Wednesday there had already been seven this year.

"A lot of it is distracted driving,” explained Taylor. “People are on cells phone or texting. We are trying to get the data on the number of texting while driving crashes. But obviously, we ask people to stop. It's almost impossible to prove. We know it's happening out there."

We encountered several drivers performing bad driving behaviors while riding with Lt. Taylor. One driver we caught going well about 90 mph on I-95 which has a speed limit of 70 mph. That driver was pulled over.

FHP said more events like this are in the area's future, so they want drivers to be vigilant, and are hoping that an increase in their overall presence will lead to a decrease in fatalities.