The variable message boards we see overhead on the interstate serve a variety of functions.
What You Need To Know
- Silver Alerts often broadcast on highway message boards
- Issued when senior citizens are reported missing
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They can give evacuation information, details when a police officer is in trouble, and of course we're all familiar with the Amber Alert system to find missing and exploited children.
A Spectrum Bay News 9 viewer had specific questions about a message he sees there frequently -- the Silver Alert.
"I don't know how effective they are and I don't even know 100% what they are,” said David Rockwell.
Silver Alerts are a way to help locate senior citizens, who, because of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, may not be aware of their surroundings.
If you see information on a variable board and think you can help, you dial *star FHP* on your phone. From there the Florida Highway Patrol will locate and assist the driver to safety.
Over the years the road rangers have played a role too.
"We've actually had some of our road rangers pull over to help people who have run out of gas, then realized, ‘Wait a minute, that's the same tag as the Silver Alert."’
Like Amber Alerts, time is of the essence when trying to locate a lost person.
"For example, somebody notifies that there's a loved one missing in Hillsborough County, that information is not just posted in the Tampa Bay area, it's posted state-wide,” Carson said.
“By the time we get that information, if an hour has passed or maybe two or even three, that person can travel quite a distance in the state of Florida.”