State and local law enforcement across five states will be targeting speeders as part of a special effort to save lives.
The “Operation Southern Slow Down” speed awareness program is in effect from Monday through July 20 in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee.
State and local law enforcement officers will target speeding and aggressive driving on interstates and major highways in the five states in an effort to get drivers to slow down and prevent speed-related crashes.
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Drivers should expect to see more law enforcement on the road, and those stopped for speeding can expect to get a ticket.
Georgia recorded 349 fatalities related to speeding in 2023, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an increase of almost 35% over a five-year period from 260 in 2019.
Speeding was a factor in one out of five traffic deaths in Georgia from 2019 to 2023, according to NHTSA data.
“Speeding threatens the lives of everyone on the road, and that is why Georgia and our neighbors are sending the message that illegal and dangerous driving behaviors will not be tolerated,” said Allen Poole, Director of the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. “The goal of ‘Operation Southern Slow Down’ is to not write tickets but for motorists to put safety first by choosing to drive at slower and safer speeds.”
Last year, state troopers and law enforcement throughout Georgia gave 12,544 citations and warnings during “Operation Southern Slow Down,” including 8,900 for speeding.
But the effort also netted arrests and tickets for other safety issues. Georgia’s law enforcement arrested 446 people for driving under the influence and gave out 1,231 citations and warnings for distracted driving during the campaign.
The annual law enforcement effort targeting speeding started in 2017 when highway safety leaders wanted to do something to reduce crashes attributed to speeding. “Operation Southern Slow Down” now happens in junction with the NHTSA’s “Speeding Catches Up With You” campaign that runs from July 7 through the end of the month.
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