"OPERATION SOUTHERN SLOW DOWN" LAUNCHES JULY 14 IN FIVE SOUTHEASTERN STATES

Drivers who feel the need for speed better hit the brakes or be ready to see blue lights in their rear-view mirror during Operation Southern Slow Down. From July 14 to July 20, this speed enforcement campaign returns in five southeastern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. To kick off the campaign, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO), a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, held press events in Franklin, Collierville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Kingsport to remind drivers to slow down.

“When speed kills, it’s never an accident,” said THSO Director Buddy Lewis. “Help us keep the roadways safe this summer through voluntary compliance. Slow down and obey the traffic laws. You could save someone’s life, including your own.”

State troopers and local law enforcement will conduct concentrated enforcement on interstates and state highways throughout these five southeastern states to stop the increase in drivers traveling at speeds well above the legal limit.

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, according to the NHTSA. 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.

Operation Southern Slow Down began in 2017 when the five southeastern states decided to hold a week-long joint speed enforcement campaign during the third week of July with the goal of reducing crashes and saving lives. The campaign now runs during the NHTSA’s Speeding Slows You Down campaign that runs from July 7 to July 31. Drivers will see more law enforcement on the road during both campaigns and drivers who are stopped for speeding can expect to be issued a citation. 
 

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s mission is to serve, secure, and protect the people of Tennessee.

The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) is a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security advocating for traffic safety. The THSO works in tandem with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to implement statewide programs addressing occupant protection, impaired driving, speed enforcement, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and crash data collection and analysis. Programs administered by the THSO are 100 percent federally funded. The THSO’s mission is to effectively develop, implement, and evaluate these programs. To learn more, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.