Operation Southern Slow Down Kicks Off

RINGGOLD, GA. (WDEF) – Drivers across the Southeast can expect increased speed enforcement after the ninth annual Operation Southern Slow Down campaign kicked off Monday.

The week-long effort runs through July 19 and brings together Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and South Carolina to focus on speeding along interstates and major highways.

Representatives from highway safety offices and state law enforcement agencies gathered Monday in Ringgold to launch the campaign and discuss the focus of this year’s effort.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Captain Cecil Harvey said troopers see the consequences of speeding crashes firsthand, including the difficult task of notifying families when a loved one is killed.

The campaign also focuses on reminding drivers that speed limits are laws, not suggestions.

Robert Hydrick, Communications Manager for the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, said the goal of the effort is to bring attention to why drivers need to follow posted speed limits.

Harvey said the Tennessee Highway Patrol Chattanooga District has recorded 112 speed-related traffic fatalities from 2021 through today. He said each number represents a family, a circle of friends and a community that is forever changed.

Hydrick also highlighted the impact speeding can have on people who are not the driver making the decision to speed. 

He said in Georgia, 40% of speed-related fatalities involve two or more vehicles, and in those multi-vehicle crashes, more than half of the people killed or hospitalized are not the speeding driver.

Law enforcement agencies will continue concentrated traffic enforcement and awareness efforts through July 19 as part of Operation Southern Slow Down.