Safe Driving Is MIA At Airport
MIAMI (CBS4) - If driving is bad in South Florida; it may be the worst at Miami International Airport.
Standing on the corner for 30 minutes, CBS4 cameras rolled as drivers stopped, swerved and rolled right past the wrong way signs. The same is true of drivers of big buses and trucks.
This month it proved deadly when Ramon Ferreiro drove his packed bus straight into the arrival entrance, killing two on board. He apparently was lost. The group was suppose to be in West Palm Beach.
Ramon still doesn't want to talk about it. Today he got behind something a bit smaller to get away from our cameras.
There is no running though from a real issue for the airport. The lower level entrance has caused a lot of trouble for Miami International Airport.
According to the Miami-Dade's Aviation Department, this year there were 48 incidents with high vehicles and overhangs. Thirty-six of the vehicles were backed out without colliding with the ceiling.
But for 12 vehicles, they actually did crash into the lower level ceiling. Documents provided by Miami-Dade county maintains this entrance has adequate signage.
The county estimates some 40,000 cars, trucks, and buses pass through the airport everyday making it one of the busiest in the county. Take a look at the entrances and you will see plenty of chips, dings, and scratches.
Now, with two deaths, the county is taking a closer look.
In a statement sent to CBS4, the county said, "The Aviation Department has hired a traffic consultant to conduct a study of MIA's clearance level signage, even though Miami-Dade County's Public Works Department has deemed that the airport already has 'proper advance notice and directional signs.' When the consultant's study is completed, possibly by the end of this week, the Department will determine if any additional measures should be taken."
The results of a consultants study are due out any day now. What Miami-Dade county will do with that remains to be seen, but it is clear that what is happening right now, may not be enough.
