Operation Southern Slow Down targets speeders in 5 States

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Drivers are being warned to slow down or risk receiving a ticket as “Operation Southern Slow Down” begins today in five southeastern states.  

This is the ninth year for the regional week-long speed enforcement and awareness campaign that will run from July 14-20 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office along with Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, Georgia State Patrol, and South Carolina Highway Patrol will hold a joint press conference at 10 AM at the 5^th

Street Freedom Bridge to discuss details of the operation.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the number of people killed in speeding-related crashes in Georgia increased by almost 35 percent over a five-year period. In 2023, 349 people died in crashes involving at least one speeding driver in Georgia compared to 260 people killed in crashes involving at least one speeding driver in Georgia in 2019.  Speeding was a factor in one out of five traffic deaths in Georgia from 2019 to 2023.

According to NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 1,604 people were killed in crashes involving speeding in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee in 2023.  This is a 13 percent increase from 2019 when 1,418 people died in crashes involving speeding in these five southeastern states. Speeding was a factor in one out of five persons killed in crashes in the southeast from 2019 through 2023. 

In Georgia, state troopers, sheriff’s deputies and police officers handed out 12,544 citations and warnings  during “Operation Southern Slow Down” in 2024, including 8900 citations and warnings for speeding.  State and local law enforcement last year also arrested 446 people for driving under the influence and issued 1,231 citations and warnings for distracted driving during the seven-day campaign in Georgia. 

NHTSA and Region IV states offer the following tips for those 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