GSP: Operation Southern Slow Down Begins Next Week

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety says slow down or expect to get a speeding ticket.

That is the message from state and local law enforcement officers in five southeastern states where “Operation Southern Slow Down” starts Monday.

This is the eighth year for the week-long speed awareness and enforcement campaign that runs from July 15-21 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The campaign will kick off Monday with news conferences involving highway safety leaders and law enforcement in all five states.

State and local law enforcement officers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee will spend the rest of the week conducting concentrated enforcement on interstates and major highways in their respective states.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 12,151 people were killed in crashes involving speeding in the United States in 2022, which is a 28 percent increase in 2019.

Speeding was a factor in 28 percent of total fatal crashes in the U.S. in 2022 compared to 26 percent in 2019.

Additionally, the number of passenger vehicle occupants killed in speed-related crashes in Georgia increased by 56 percent over a five-year period between 2018 and 2022.

NHTSA offers the following safety reminders:

  • Faster speeds require longer to stop a vehicle
  • The stopping distance quadruples every time a driver doubles their speed.
  • Allow more stopping time for bigger vehicles when traveling downhill on wet or uneven pavement
  • Check the speedometer when approaching a curve. Apply the brakes before the curve.
  • Remember, children will usually drive in the manner they see adults. Set a good example by driving at the speed limit.
  • Traveling on the same road with speeding drivers
  • Give speeding drivers plenty of space
  • If speeding drivers are following too closely, allow them to pass
  • Stay out of the far-left lane unless it is passing another vehicle
  • Always wear a seat belt

The final traffic death count from over the July 4th Holiday weekend is in and according to the Georgia Department of Public Safety, 18 people died on Georgia roadways from 6p Wednesday, July 3 to 11:59p Sunday, July 7.

Statewide, Georgia State Patrol Troopers investigated 12 fatal crashes and six fatal crashes were investigated by local law enforcement agencies for a total of 18 fatalities on Georgia roads.

In addition to fatal crashes, Troopers investigated over 500 traffic crashes that resulted in more than 500 injuries. Troopers and Motor Carrier Compliance Division (MCCD) Officers made over 33,000 traffic stops and issued more than 19,400 citations and over 23,000 warnings.