The main objective of the Traffic Unit is the reduction of traffic related injuries and fatalities through education designed to create a higher awareness of traffic safety.

The Traffic Unit is currently comprised of an unmarked vehicle, two Harley Davidson motorcycles and a marked patrol vehicle.

Our department also utilizes other tools such as those listed below:

Radar Speed Trailer - A mobile unit placed on the side of the road that uses radar to sense an oncoming vehicle's speed and display that speed back to the approaching driver. This is intended to give the driver an external visual indication of their speed, which if excessive, may remind them to slow down. This tool also captures speed data in an effort to utilize the data in studies to further support future traffic enforcement.

Laser Speed Gun - A laser speed gun measures the round-trip time for light to reach a car and reflect back. Light from a laser speed gun moves a lot faster than sound -- about 984,000,000 feet per second (300,000,000 meters), or roughly 1 foot (30 cm) per nanosecond. A laser speed gun shoots a very short burst of infrared laser light and then waits for it to reflect off the vehicle. The gun counts the number of nanoseconds it takes for the round trip, and by dividing by 2 it can calculate the distance to the car. If the gun takes 1,000 samples per second, it can compare the change in distance between samples and calculate the speed of the car. By taking several hundred samples over the course of a third of a second or so, the accuracy of a laser speed gun is very high.

Radar - A radar is a Doppler radar unit that may be hand-held, vehicle-mounted or static. It measures the speed of the objects at which it is pointed by detecting a change in frequency of the returned radar signal caused by the Doppler effect, whereby the frequency of the returned signal is increased in proportion to the object's speed of approach if the object is approaching, and lowered if the object is receding. Such devices are frequently used for speed limit enforcement.

Questions or concerns regarding the Traffic Unit? Contact Sergeant. C. Hunt at (386) 462-1396 or by email at chunt@alachuapd.org.

Traffic Safety Tips

Think safety first
 Avoiding aggressive and inattentive driving tendencies yourself will put you in a stronger position to deal with other people's bad driving. Leave plenty of space between you and the car in front. Always lock your doors and wear your seatbelt to protect you from being thrown from the car in a crash.

Be aware of your surroundings
 pay attention. Check your mirrors frequently and scan conditions 20 to 30 seconds ahead of you. Keep your eyes moving. If a vehicle is showing signs of aggressive driving, slow down or pull over to avoid it. If the driver is driving so dangerously that you're worried, try to get off the roadway by turning right or taking the next exit if it's safe to do so. Also, keep an eye on pedestrians, bicyclists, and pets along the road.

Do not depend on other drivers
Be considerate of others but look out for yourself. Do not assume another driver is going to move out of the way or allow you to merge. Assume that drivers will run through red lights or stop signs and be prepared to react. Plan your movements anticipating the worst-case scenario.

Follow the 3- to 4-second rule
Since the greatest chance of a collision is in front of you, using the 3- to 4-second rule will help you establish and maintain a safe following distance and provide adequate time for you to brake to a stop if necessary. But this rule only works in normal traffic under good weather conditions. In bad weather, increase your following distance an additional second for each condition such as rain, fog, nighttime driving, or following a large truck or motorcycle.

Keep your speed down
Posted speed limits apply to ideal conditions. It's your responsibility to ensure that your speed matches conditions. In addition, higher speeds make controlling your vehicle that much more difficult if things go wrong. To maintain control of your vehicle, you must control your speed.

Have an escape route
In all driving situations, the best way to avoid potential dangers is to position your vehicle where you have the best chance of seeing and being seen. Having an alternate path of travel also is essential, so always leave yourself an out — a place to move your vehicle if your immediate path of travel is suddenly blocked.

Separate risks
When faced with multiple risks, it's best to manage them one at a time. Your goal is to avoid having to deal with too many risks at the same time.

Cut out distractions
A distraction is any activity that diverts your attention from the task of driving. Driving deserves your full attention— so stay focused on the driving task.