FHP Announces January Checkpoints

Waiting for your next paycheck to get those brake lights fixed? Perhaps you’ve forgotten to renew your driver’s license?

The time to tackle these jobs is now, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Troopers will be on the lookout throughout the month of January for vehicles that have safety equipment defects and drivers who get behind the wheel without valid licenses.

According to FHP spokesman Sgt. Steve Gaskins, Troopers will set up checkpoints all over Hillsborough County throughout January.

“The patrol has found these checkpoints to be an effective means of enforcing the equipment and driver license laws of Florida while ensuring the protection of all motorists,” Gaskins wrote in an email. He says Troopers look for such defects as worn out tires, bad brakes and lighting equipment that doesn’t work.

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While there is no exact time table for the checkpoints, Gaskins says FHP’s list does include “possible locations (where) checkpoints may be conducted. Hours may vary.”

“These checkpoints are random, daytime operations that typically delay motorists for a few minutes only,” Gaskins wrote in a media release. “Local supervisors select the time, location and duration of the checkpoints on the roadways listed below based upon staffing, weather and traffic conditions.”

Here are some of the roads near South Tampa that will be targeted during the checkpoints:

• U.S. 41
• Dale Mabry Highway