Q We plan to drive from South Florida to Key West. But people have told us that criminals lurk along the long stretches of the Overseas Highway waiting for unsuspecting tourists to stop, and then they rob them. Have you heard anything about this?
Bill Ashley
Chantilly
A This rumor is rooted in reality, but it's off the mark. I wouldn't hesitate to make this beautiful 127-mile drive, which connects the mainland to Florida's islands with stretches of narrow road and 42 bridges.
Some background: In the early- to mid-1990s, there was a series of highly publicized crimes against tourists in South Florida, including nine murders. In one incident, a German woman was pulled out of her rental car just after leaving Miami International Airport and then run over and killed in front of her children.
In 1995, two British tourists were robbed at knife point when they stopped along the Overseas Highway at Mile Marker 85.5. But most of the crimes that occur along the stretch of Route 1 called the Overseas Highway, which starts just south of Florida City and ends in Key West, involve thefts from unattended, unlocked cars, not violent crimes.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, which patrols the areas along the highway, major crimes have been reduced by close to 50 percent in the past 10 years. Florida's overall serious crime rate fell for the 12th straight year in 2003, hitting a 33-year low.
The sheriff's office publishes an information sheet about crime in the Florida Keys available at www.keysso.net. It recommends that travelers who stop along the Overseas Highway "lock your car doors and secure your valuables in the trunk, even if you are getting out for a short time." For general info about the Florida Keys: 800-FLA-KEYS, www.fla-keys.com.
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