Driving Along Florida Beach Banned

Nighttime driving and parking along 40 miles of Daytona Beach seashore sand, a tradition for nearly a century, was banned Tuesday to protect endangered sea turtles.

The temporary injunction by U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway was a partial victory for environmentalists, who say the car traffic kills loggerhead and green turtles laying eggs along the beach.

The long, flat beaches have been attracting motorists since the early 1900s, when a shortage of paved roads led carmakers Henry Ford, Louis Chevrolet, Ransom Olds and others to use the hard-packed sand as a natural test track. No date was set for a trial on the lawsuit filed by two residents. The injunction is in effect until Nov. 1.

The judge also restricted daytime traffic along the dunes where turtles dig their nests.