Both state and local law enforcement agencies in five states, including Florida, will conduct a week-long speed enforcement awareness campaign from July 17-22.
TAMPA, Florida — Florida law enforcement agencies are joining forces with other states for the sixth year to reduce the number of reckless driving and speeding cases.
During a news conference Monday in Tampa, leaders with the Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Department of Transportation announced "Operation Southern Slow Down" – a team effort to stop the increase in drivers traveling at speeds well above the legal limit.
This operation is bringing together the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and multiple southeastern states including Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Both state and local law enforcement agencies in all the states, including Florida, will conduct a week-long speed enforcement awareness campaign from July 17-22.
"The campaign’s mission is to save lives and prevent reckless driving and speeding in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee," a news release about the operation explains in part.
Sgt. Steve Gaskins with FHP explained a speeding incident last week with a car going 161 mph on Interstate 275 near Fletcher Avenue in Tampa.
"That's completely unacceptable," he said. "That's the kind of behavior that ends up causing crashes...[and] deaths."
The driver who was caught speeding is facing a penalty fine of more than $1,000, a traffic citation shows.
According to FDOT District Seven Secretary David Gwynn, P.E., drivers need to make sure they're slowing down and doing everything possible in their control to drive safely. Some tips from Gwynn for drivers include:
- Drive at a safe speed
- Wear your seatbelt
- Don't drive impaired or distracted
Looking at 2023 statewide crash statistics from FHP, there were a total of 196,355 crashes in the Sunshine State that happened between Jan. 1 to July 7.
There were 1,688 deaths connected to all the crashes and 125,530 injuries.
Here's a breakdown of different types of crashes:
- Total fatal crashes: 1,577
- Total injury crashes: 81,596
- Total bicycle crashes: 4,097
- Total bicycle deaths: 109
- Total motorcycle crashes: 4,938
- Total motorcycle deaths: 290
- Total pedestrian crashes: 4,983
- Total pedestrian deaths: 367
- Total hit-and-run crashes: 52,567
- Total hit-and-run deaths: 132
- Total hit-and-run injuries: 11,420
An 18-year-old was recently arrested in Tampa for speeding on the interstate as well, leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase.
The chase started around 4:30 a.m. on Interstate 4 at the Interstate 75 interchange.
It was estimated that the SUV driver was going more than 100 miles per hour and he continued speeding away from the trooper.
The high-speed chase continued onto Interstate 275, where the driver was reportedly clocked going 96 miles per hour in a 55-mile-per-hour zone.
A trooper eventually pulled up next to the SUV and completes a successful PIT maneuver, causing the SUV to spin out and land on the interstate shoulder.
"When motorists make the decision to engage in dangerous speeds on our roadways, they needlessly place themselves and other road users at risk of deadly outcomes,” FDOT Assistant Secretary for Engineering and Operations Will N. Watts, Jr., P.E. said in a statement.
