MIAMI - The Florida Highway Patrol says it is about to crack down on people who plow through plastic poles separating express lanes from other traffic on Interstate 95.
The campaign called Drive Safe 95 Express will continue through June. Offenders face fines of $179 plus three points against their driver's license.
Trooper Joe Sanchez tells the Sun Sentinel the problem typically starts when regular lanes on I-95 stall and the express lanes are wide open. Some drivers who are stopped decide to cross the plastic poles and dart into the open lanes.
The agency says there are 7,000 poles on a 7-mile stretch in Miami-Dade County. They are constantly being run over, with more than 500 replaced each week. Replacement costs about $1 million a year.
