David M. Benenfeld Blog

Enhanced Penalty Zones No Longer on I-95 in Palm Beach County

The enhanced penalty zone signs on I-95 in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach wil be taken down Thursday, marking the end of the three-year campaign to reduce speeding and provide funding for trauma victims, according to the Sun Sentinel.  The Florida Department of Transportation partnered with lawmakers in the experiment in an effort to reduce the number of Palm Beach County car accidents caused by speeding, and the plan was to help car accident victims by funding local trauma centers and Florida's Medicaid program with the money from enhanced speeding tickets.  According to those originially behind the experiment, the plan failed to accomplish its mission.  More than two-thousand speeding tickets were issued in the marked areas between 2007 and 2009, but the area saw no change in the number of auto accidents.  The funding for the law's target patients proved inadequate, as well.  For example, half the money from extra fines was given to a Medicaid program that provides brain and spinal cord injury patients with ventilators, but the total amount received did not cover the cost of placing even one patient on a ventilator.

Although the law will no longer be in effect, reducing speeds on I-95 is crucial in saving the lives of Palm Beach, Dade, and Broward County accidents.  Far too many car accidents on I-95 lead to serious or even fatal injuries, and the problem must be eliminated.  If you or a loved one has been hurt in a Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach County wreck, contact David Benenfeld for free resources, other helpful information, and answers to your pressing questions.