DOTHAN, Ala. (WDNews) – This week, July 15-20, there will be a heightened police presence on roadways due to “Operation Southern Slow Down” in the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
2024 is the eighth year of the speed awareness and enforcement campaign.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that 12,151 people were killed in crashes involving speeding in the United States in 2022, according to the most recent data available. That is a 28% increase from the 9,592 people killed in crashes involving speeding in the U.S. in 2019.
State and local law enforcement officers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee will spend the rest of the week conducting concentrated enforcement on interstates and major highways in their respective states.
“As more motorists travel during the summer, this joint effort with our partners in the Southeast will serve as a strong reminder to obey the speed limit and other traffic safety laws,” said Kenneth Boswell, Director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. “We all want to arrive at our destinations safely, and we support our law enforcement officers as they work hard to prevent injuries and deaths from automobile crashes.”
NHTSA offers the following safety reminders:
- Faster speeds require longer to stop a vehicle
- The stopping distance quadruples every time a driver doubles their speed.
- Allow more stopping time for bigger vehicles when traveling downhill on wet or uneven pavement
- Check speedometer when approaching a curve. Apply the brakes before the curve.
- Remember, children will usually drive in the manner they see adults. Set a good example by driving at the speed limit.
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 passing another vehicle
- Always wear a seat belt
