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500-065-17 SAFETY 12/14 Statement of the Problem: (Provide details about the traffic safety problem that you want to address.) Indian River County is located on the eastern seaboard of Florida and represents 503 square miles of total land mass. According to the United States Census Bureau, the estimated population of Indian River County in 2013 was 141,994. The Florida Research & Economic Database estimates the population increases to well over 190,000 people during the tourist season and the county is predominately considered a retirement community with the median age being 51 years old. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has documented 115,125 licensed drivers in Indian River County as of January 1, 2014. Of the licensed drivers in Indian River County, 57% represent the age group 50 or above, 37% are between the ages of 21-49, and 6% are between the ages of 15-20. Indian River County is unique in the fact that there are four major roadways that travel throughout the entire county: Interstate 95, US Highway 1, State Road 60, and the Florida Turnpike. Traffic related incidents are compunded with a multitude of factors including, but not limited to: an increase in the aging population that are susceptible to diminshed vision, conginitive and phyical reactions; limited personnel resources to aggressively enforce violations of posted speed zones; and budgetary restraints that prevent the agency from expanding traffic related initiatives. These statistics create a specialized traffic enforcement problem and the Indian River County Sheriffs Office has identified traffic safety as a high priority to reduce the number of traffic -related injuries and fatalities. The jurisdiction of the Sheriffs Office is divided into 11 zones to cover approximately 474 square miles of unincorporated territory, with an average of 43 deputies assigned to zone patrol working per day and 4 deputies assigned the Traffic Unit. On average, deputies spend approximately 15-20 minutes on a traffic stop when a citation is issued, which considerably reduces the availability of deputies to increase traffic enforcement in areas of concern. Currently, the Indian River County Sheriffs Office operates two radar display trailers that were purchased in 2006 from grant funding. The aging devices are becoming increasingly difficult to repair or use effectively to aid in the traffic safety program implemented by our agency. Due to limited resources and budgetary restraints, the Indian River County Sheriffs Office will not be able to increase the number of deputies assigned to the Traffic Unit or to replace the radar display trailers. Although Indian River County is not ranked in the top 25% on the Highway Safety Matrix in 2014, our area has a unique situation for traffic enforcement. Between 2012-2014, the Indian River County Sheriffs Office realized an 11% increase in the number of law enforcement calls for service; a 20.28% increase in the number of traffic citations issued; an 67.93% increase in the number of traffic warnings provided; and a 45.18% increase in the number of traffic crashes reported. From the results of crime analysis and data trending, the Indian River County Sheriffs Office has identified the critical need to improve traffic patterns to areas vunerable to speeding and agreesive driving. 123