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ALEX LEARYDeputies will stop drivers on Moog Road and Old Dixie Highway to check for such things as seat belt use.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office will conduct traffic safety checks on Moog Road in Holiday and on Old Dixie Highway in Hudson later this week, part of a new effort to deter traffic offenses.
The stops will occur at night sometime from Wednesday to Friday, said sheriff's Sgt. Erik Anthes.
"We'll be several hours in each location," said Anthes, supervisor of the department's Special Traffic Enforcement Unit.
He described the checkpoints as "comprehensive," meaning deputies will look for - among other things - faulty taillights, drivers who aren't wearing seat belts and those impaired by alcohol or drugs.
Drivers will be asked for their license and registration and proof of insurance.
Anthes predicted that vehicles will move through the checkpoints within about two minutes, provided there are no problems.
The stops will be based on a random ratio selected by Anthes, such as every fifth vehicle. From seven to 12 deputies will be involved.
Anthes anticipated criticism, since arrests during such an effort are not high. He used to feel the same way.
But he said he has begun to view them in a different light.
"You put into the habitual violator a sense of fear that they will come across them."
The checkpoints could become more common. Anthes has secured a $40,000 state grant for his unit to purchase traffic cones, lights and signs - items now borrowed from other departments. He wants to put some of the money toward a truck or sport utility vehicle that would assist in the operation by not looking like a typical cruiser, which can tip off drivers and cause some to change course to avoid the stop.