Get the lead out of your feet or risk getting a ticket in the Southeast next week when ‘Operation Southern Slow Down’ returns for a ninth year.
Operation Southern Slow Down’ is a speed enforcement and awareness campaign that runs from July 13-19 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. The campaign's goal is to prevent crashes and save lives by reminding drivers of the dangers of speeding and reckless driving during the middle of the summer travel season.
The campaign will kick off Monday as state and local law enforcement officers in the five states will spend the remainder of the week targeting speeding, aggressive driving and all traffic law violations on interstates and major highways.
More than 490 law enforcement agencies in five states issued 52,990 citations and warnings for speeding during the 2025 'Operation Southern Slow Down' enforcement campaign. The week-long enforcement also resulted in more than 1,440 DUI arrests, 2,230 warnings and citations issued for reckless driving and more than 3,000 citations and warnings issued for violating distracted driving laws in the five southeastern states.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), almost 30% of the nation’s traffic fatalities in 2024 involved speeding. Federal crash data in Georgia showed that speed was a factor in one out of five fatal traffic crashes in the state between 2020 and 2024.
“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.”
"Choosing to speed means choosing to endanger lives,” said THSO Director Buddy Lewis. “High speeds shrink your window to react, increase your chances of crashing, and stop your vehicle's safety features from protecting you. Help us save lives this summer. The choice is simple: slow down, obey the law, and make it home safe."
“Operation Southern Slow Down” began in 2017 when highway safety leaders in the region sought to reduce crashes and save lives by reminding motorists of the danger speeding poses to all roadway users. The campaign now takes place during NHTSA’s “Speeding Slows You Down” education and enforcement campaign that runs from July 6-30.
Drivers will see more law enforcement on the road during both campaigns and drivers are reminded to always follow Move Over Laws by moving over if safe to do so or slowing down to ten miles below the posted speed limit when passing an authorized emergency vehicle that is parked on the side of the road with emergency lights activated.