Courtesy of Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
ATLANTA - Drivers traveling across the Southeast this week may see more law enforcement officers on interstates and major highways as the ninth annual "Operation Southern Slow Down" campaign gets underway.
What we know:
The speed enforcement and awareness initiative runs from July 13 through July 19 in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee. The campaign is designed to reduce crashes and save lives by warning motorists about the dangers of speeding and reckless driving during one of the busiest travel periods of the summer.
Officials from highway safety offices and law enforcement agencies in all five states kicked off the campaign Monday with simultaneous news conferences in Augusta, Columbus, Ringgold, Savannah and Florida. State and local officers will spend the week targeting speeding, aggressive driving and other traffic violations.
Thousands of citations issued in 2025 campaign
By the numbers:
More than 490 law enforcement agencies across the Southeast issued 52,990 speeding citations and warnings during last year's "Operation Southern Slow Down" campaign.
The weeklong enforcement effort also led to more than 1,440 DUI arrests, 2,230 citations and warnings for reckless driving and more than 3,000 citations and warnings for distracted driving violations.
In Georgia alone, more than 230 law enforcement agencies made more than 13,290 speeding contacts with drivers. Officers also made 501 DUI arrests, issued more than 1,875 citations and warnings for violating the state's hands-free law and more than 2,470 citations and warnings for seat belt violations.
Speed remains a major factor in deadly crashes
What they're saying:
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 30% of traffic deaths nationwide in 2024 involved speeding. Federal crash data also shows speed was a factor in one out of every five fatal crashes in Georgia between 2020 and 2024.
A 2023 Georgia Traffic Safety fact sheet found that 53% of people killed or seriously injured in multi-vehicle speed-related crashes were not the speeding driver. The report showed that 35% of victims were occupants of another vehicle, while 16% were passengers riding with the speeding driver. Pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 2% of those killed or seriously hurt.
"Speed limits are in place to protect everyone traveling on our roads and highways, and enforcement of speeding and all traffic laws has proven to save lives in our region and nation," said Allen Poole, director of the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety. "The goal for 'Operation Southern Slow Down' is not to write tickets but to get more drivers to see that traveling at slower and safer speeds prevents families and friends from losing loved ones in crashes that are preventable."
What drivers should know
What you can do:
"Operation Southern Slow Down" began in 2017 as a regional effort to reduce traffic crashes and improve roadway safety. The campaign now overlaps with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's "Speeding Slows You Down" initiative, which runs through July 30.
Officials are reminding motorists that they will likely see increased law enforcement activity throughout the month and should obey Georgia's Move Over Law by changing lanes when possible or slowing to at least 10 mph below the posted speed limit when passing emergency vehicles stopped with flashing lights.
Safety officials also offered several tips for sharing the road with speeding drivers:
- Give speeding drivers plenty of space.
- Allow aggressive drivers to pass if they are following too closely.
- Stay out of the far-left lane unless passing another vehicle.
- Always wear a seat belt.