Law enforcement working together to prevent speeding in 'Operation Southern Slowdown'

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - After a significant decrease in travel due to the pandemic, Americans are hopping in their cars and hitting the roads again.  Experts are picking up on a trend however, apparently drivers got used to going faster on empty roadways and aren’t slowing back down.

"Unfortunately, as the traffic volumes have come back up, many people continue to drive at those very high speeds," said David Gwynn with the Florida Department of Transportation.

Officials say of the more than 15,000 warnings and citations issued between Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus Counties between 2019 and 2021, more than half were for speeding.  In 2021 alone, there were more than 3700 crash related deaths in Florida.

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"It's not uncommon for officers and deputies and troopers to encounter people 30, 40, 50 miles an hour over the speed limit. And, of course, we all know that those high speeds lead to crashes," said Sgt. Steve Gaskins with FHP. 

So this week, law enforcement from across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina are all teaming up for operation Southern Slowdown.  It is an all-out enforcement campaign designed to put the brakes on speeders, so don't be surprised if you see more traffic stops out there, than usual.

"So when you start violating that speed limit and going above five, ten, 15, 20 miles an hour, because we always seem to inch up more and more, it doesn't matter if that's the pace of the traffic or not. Speed limits are set for a reason for your safety," Sgt. Gaskins said.