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Driving is a necessity of life in South Florida, and it works much better when we all obey the rules. Aggressive driving has become a consistent issue in Miami Gardens, but the Miami Gardens Police Department is working hard to tackle it, and make our roads safe.
According to Miami Gardens Assistant Police Chief Joseph Nargiso, “Aggressive driving is when individuals commit a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property.” While this includes a wide range of driving offenses, the major concerns within City limits are speeding, unsafe lane changes, following vehicles too closely, running red lights and train signals, blocking passing lanes, and erratically speeding or slowing down. These can all lead to traffic accidents and even loss of life.
Drag racing, in particular, has become a major problem. “It has come to the point that these drivers are blocking long stretches of road in order to conduct their drag races,” Nargiso said.
To combat these challenges, the Miami Gardens Police Department has created an Aggressive Driving operation where officers heavily patrol areas known for drag racing.
These include main streets such as N.W. 27th Avenue — both north and southbound, N.W. 183rd Street — east and westbound, N.W. 2nd Avenue — north and south bound, and N.W. 199th Street — east and westbound.
Officers are also using digital surveillance techniques to crack down on offenders. “Social media is a tool that is used by the drag racers. They love to brag and boast about their racing. They have gone as far as to announce the areas that they will be racing,” Nargiso said.
If citizens hear of or see a drag race that’s happening, they can call the police and report it anonymously. Get the tag numbers if possible, but do not honk or engage with the racers in any way.
Traditional speeding is also a City-wide concern. Police officers will be out this summer looking for speeders and citations will be issued.
Hurricane season is another safety concern. Nargiso encourages residents to create a hurricane safety plan, as well learn the different routes in and out of your neighborhood, making note of road closures. He suggests that residents stock up on disaster supplies like batteries, flash lights, medications, non-electric can openers, first aid kits, battery operated radios, cash, gas and enough food to survive a few weeks.
