(WSVN) - Law enforcement will soon be out in full force on a mission to stop speeders.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) on Monday announced a campaign called Operation Southern Slow Down. The campaign is a joint-effort with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and four southeastern states, which includes Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Local law enforcement agencies will conduct the speed enforcement campaign for a week.
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) will focus on detecting and citing drivers who exceed posted speed limits across the state’s interstate corridors, which include Interstate 95, Interstate 75 on the Turnpike as well as express lanes.
The goal with this campaign is to save lives.
“Anything we can do to get the message out there for people to slow down, take a moment,” said an FHP trooper. “There’s no rush, you’re not saving that much time. I make the joke about us pulling you down because the summer’s so hot, but that’s our job, and that’s what we’re going to do, and that’s what we always do. But we just want to make sure we get the message out, please, that troopers do not, deputies do not, officers do not want to knock on your loved-one’s door all because you were going too fast.”
According to FLHSMV, there were more than 13,296 reported crashes in 2022 in Florida which involved speeding or driving too fast.
A list of tips for drivers to avoid crashes includes the following:
- Anticipate increased traffic during peak travel periods. Plan ahead and give yourself ample drive time.
- Buckle up and make sure all passengers are buckled up the entire trip.
- Slow down in construction zones. Keep in mind that construction increases during the summer season.
- No matter how eager you are to reach your destination, speeding and driving aggressively is dangerous. Stay patient and give other road users plenty of space.
Troopers said that they usually find a driver speeding 30, 40 or even 50 mph over the posted speed limit.
If a driver is caught going over 50 mph, they can receive a $1,000 fine as well as face potential criminal charges.
The campaign runs until July 22.
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