Speeding crackdown hits Georgia, 4 Southern states next week. Here’s what drivers should know.

by Tim Darnell

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — If your summer plans include road trips, beach runs or just getting across town without melting in traffic, here’s a heads-up: Operation Southern Slow Down is back for year nine, and officers across the Southeast will be out in force July 13–19.

The multi-state speed enforcement and awareness campaign runs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, with one message for drivers: Speeding isn’t just a ticket risk. It’s a crash risk.

What’s happening (and when)

The campaign kicks off Monday with highway safety offices and state law enforcement agencies outlining education and enforcement plans at simultaneous news conferences in Augusta, Columbus, Ringgold, Savannah and in Florida. After that, officers will spend the week watching interstates and major highways, targeting:

Speeding
Aggressive and reckless driving
Impaired driving
Distracted driving and hands-free violations
Seat belt violations
And any traffic law violations they spot along the way

Last year’s numbers: enforcement was heavy

During the 2025 Operation Southern Slow Down campaign, more than 490 law enforcement agencies across the five states issued 52,990 speeding citations and warnings. The week also resulted in:

1,440+ DUI arrests
2,230 reckless driving warnings/citations
3,000+ distracted driving citations/warnings

In Georgia, state and local law enforcement made 13,290 speeding contacts with drivers during the 2025 campaign. More than 230 agencies also reported:

501 DUI arrests
1,875+ warnings/citations for violating Georgia’s Hands-Free Law
2,470+ warnings/citations for seat belt violations

Why they’re doing it

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 30% of U.S. traffic deaths in 2024 involved speeding. Georgia crash data also shows speed was a factor in one out of five fatal crashes in the state between 2020 and 2024.

And here’s the part that hits hardest: A Georgia Traffic Safety Fact Sheet on speeding says in 2023, 53% of the people killed or seriously injured in multi-vehicle speed-related crashes weren’t the speeding driver, meaning innocent drivers, passengers and even pedestrians often pay the price.

Drivers are also reminded to follow Georgia’s Move Over Law when approaching an authorized emergency vehicle stopped on the roadside with emergency lights activated. Move over if it’s safe, or slow down.

Tips if you’re sharing the road with a speeder

NHTSA recommends:

Give speeding drivers plenty of space.
If someone is tailgating you, let them pass.
Stay out of the far-left lane unless you’re passing.
Buckle up: every trip, every seat.

Operation Southern Slow Down began in 2017 as a regional effort to reduce crashes and deaths by confronting the risks of speeding, and it now aligns with NHTSA’s summer campaign, “Speeding Slows You Down,” which runs July 6–30.

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