The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and over 490 law enforcement agencies from five southeastern states launched the Southern Slow Down Operation on Monday, July 13th.
It is a regional deployment that will run until Saturday, July 18, aimed at reducing fatal accidents caused by speeding on highways and interstates.
According to local reports, the operation brings together law enforcement forces from Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, the five states that make up Region IV of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
What behaviors will the agents monitor?
Although speed is the main focus, according to Univision Orlando, the officers will also address other risky behaviors. Among them are:
Aggressive driving.
-Unsure lane changes.
-Driving too close to the vehicle in front.
-Use of cell phones while driving.
-Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI).
- Failure to wear a seatbelt.
The authorities did not reveal the exact surveillance points, although patrols will focus on corridors with a history of accidents, such as I-95 in Miami, I-4 in Tampa, and the Florida Turnpike in Orlando.
Who is leading the operation in Florida?
In the state, the FHP leads the deployment alongside the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department (FLHSMV), with the support of sheriff's offices and municipal police departments.
The secretary of FDOT, Jared W. Perdue, was one of the officials who announced the launch of the campaign: "Unsafe driving behaviors, such as speeding, are a significant factor in deaths and serious injuries on our roads."
Colonel Gary Howze, director of the Florida Highway Patrol, emphasized that speeding "is a conscious decision" that costs lives, and explained that the deployment combines increased police presence with road safety education efforts across the five states.
The legal framework: Driving fast can be a criminal offense
As of July 1, 2025, Florida enacts the HB 351 Law, which intensifies penalties for speeding and makes it a criminal offense to drive 50 miles per hour or more over the limit, or 100 mph or more on any road.
The first offense may result in up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $500; the second offense may lead to up to 90 days in prison and a fine of $1,000; and a third offense within five years could result in a suspension of the license for a period ranging from 180 days to one year.
The numbers that explain the urgency
On average, eight people die and 49 are seriously injured each day on Florida's highways, according to the FDOT.
In 2023, speeding was a factor in over 16,000 accidents in the state, resulting in nearly 170 deaths and more than 460 serious injuries.
Additionally, driving at night in Florida is especially dangerous: between 2020 and 2024, 84.4% more fatalities due to speeding occurred during nighttime hours, making the state the second most dangerous in the country for nighttime driving.
What happened in the 2025 edition?
The results from the previous year illustrate the magnitude of the deployment:
-The more than 490 participating agencies issued 52,990 fines and warnings for speeding across the five states.
They made more than 1,440 arrests for DUI.
More than 2,230 penalties were imposed for reckless driving.
They recorded more than 3,000 violations for distracted driving.
Only in Florida, that edition generated 28,377 citations for speeding and 505 arrests for DUI.
The operation is part of the Target Zero initiative by the FDOT, which aims to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on the state's roads.
Colonel Howze recalled that the goal goes beyond fines: the call to drivers, he said, should not be limited to this week, "but should remain every time you drive a vehicle."
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