Trooper: 'We do have hearts'

“We understand on holidays people are more emotional, they're excited,” he said. “They want to go see people they haven't seen in a while.”

Cerbone stopped one driver who was going 85 mph in a 70 mph zone.

Cerbone relies on his radar to catch speed violators. The device can read vehicles that are either coming or going away from the state trooper.

But it's not just speeders Cerbone is on the lookout for.

“Seat belts, a lot of erratic driving,” he said, running down a list of violations.

The trooper is also constantly aware of anything that could be a safety hazard. When he spotted a tire in the middle of the road, he ran into traffic to retrieve it.

“Wow, that was scary,” he said after getting safely back into his cruiser. “That Buick there was coming close.”

Last year, 10 people died on North Carolina highways during the Thanksgiving holiday. Speed remains the leading cause of traffic collisions and fatalities in the state.

Cerbone said troopers aren’t trying to ruin anyone’s holiday with tickets. But their job is to keep people safe.