Operation Southern Slow Down Underway

Five states in the southeast are getting together in an effort to get people to slow down…on the roads. Operation Southern Slow Down began yesterday and continues through this Sunday July 20 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Tennessee Highway Safety Office hosted an event in Kingsport and other cities across the state on Monday to kick off Operation Southern Slow Down. This week, drivers will see more law enforcement on the road. State troopers and local law enforcement will conduct concentrated enforcement on interstates and state highways throughout these states in an effort to stop the increase in drivers traveling at speeds well above the legal limit. Drivers who are stopped for speeding this week can expect to be issued a citation.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 11,175 people were killed in crashes involving speeding in the United States in 2023, which is a 27 percent increase from 9,592 persons killed in crashes involving speeding nationwide in 2019. Speeding was a factor in almost 30 percent of fatal crashes in the United States in 2023 compared to 25 percent in 2019.

1,604 people were killed in crashes involving speeding in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee in 2023. That’s an increase of 13% over 2019. According to the NHTSA, speeding was a factor in one out of five persons killed in crashes in the southeast from 2019 through 2023.