Highway Patrol Announces December Checkpoints in Bloomingdale-Riverview

BHas your driver’s license expired? Maybe you’ve forgotten to check whether your turn signals work properly?

If you’ve been putting off those nagging little maintenance jobs that go hand-in-hand with driving, you might want to get on the ball.

The Florida Highway Patrol will be on the lookout throughout the month of December 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 December.

“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 tires, bad brakes and improperly working lighting equipment.

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 in and near Bloomingdale-Riverview area that will be targeted during the checkpoints:

• Lithia-Pinecrest Road
• Symmes Road
• Balm Road
• Rhodine Road
• Balm-Riverview Road
• U.S. 41