Palm Beach Post exclusive: Traffic patrol Sky cops snare speeders on the fly over South Florida

By Cynthia Roldan 
Palm Beach Post

Cops often have reminded drivers that an open road does not mean open season for speeding.

But according to state troopers, that seems to be the philosophy for drivers on Interstate 95 in northern Palm Beach County, which recently has been expanded from three to five lanes.

While the expansion — completed in December from PGA Boulevard to Donald Ross Road and in March from Donald Ross to Indiantown Road— means an easier commute for drivers, Florida Highway Patrol officials have noticed that more motorists are driving faster and, as a result, wrecks have gotten nastier.

“People just lose their minds when they get up here,” FHP Sgt. Jewrel Wigfall said.

Wigfall would know. He patrols the highway from 2,200 feet in the air in an FHP-issued single-engine Cessna airplane.

From his perch, he sees the drivers who think they can avoid tickets by slowing down when approaching areas where troopers normally hide their cars. No one thinks to look up when they are speeding, and Wigfall catches speeders before they can see the blue lights flashing.

But for the FHP it’s not just about citing fast drivers. It’s about preventing serious — in some cases fatal — crashes.

“When you see the results of someone who drives aggressively and speeds all of the time, and you see these deadly crashes, you learn that you don’t want to drive like that,” said Lt. Tim Frith, spokesman for FHP. “You can hurt someone or sometimes even kill someone.”

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