Drivers are being warned to slow down or risk receiving a ticket when "Operation Southern Slow Down" begins next week in five southeastern states. This is the ninth year for the regional week-long speed enforcement and awareness campaign, which will run July 14–20 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The campaign will kick off Monday with news conferences involving highway safety leaders and law enforcement in Augusta, Columbus and Savannah; East Ridge, Tennessee; and Jacksonville, Florida. State and local law enforcement officers will spend the remainder of the week targeting speeding and aggressive driving on interstates and major highways in the five states.

Speeding is an aggressive and deadly behavior that endangers not only the speeding driver but motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists on the road. Driving at faster speeds reduces the vehicle operator's ability to steer safely. It also increases the chances of being in a crash, because faster speeds increase the time it takes for a vehicle to stop if the operator has to brake suddenly.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 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 in 2019. Speeding was a factor in one out of five traffic deaths in Georgia from 2019 to 2023.

"Speeding threatens the lives of everyone on the road, and that is why Georgia and our neighbors are sending the message that illegal and dangerous driving behaviors will not be tolerated," said Allen Poole, director of the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety. "The goal of 'Operation Southern Slow Down' is to not write tickets but for motorists to put safety first by choosing to drive at slower and safer speeds."

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 8,900 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.

"Operation Southern Slow Down" began in 2017 when highway safety leaders in the region wanted to reduce crashes and save lives by reminding motorists of the danger speeding poses to all roadway users. The campaign now takes place during the NHTSA's "Speeding Slows You Down" education and enforcement campaign that runs July 7–31. Drivers will see more law enforcement on the road during both campaigns, and drivers who are stopped for speeding can expect to get a ticket.

The NHTSA offers 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 to pass another vehicle.

▲ Always wear a seat belt.