DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As Operation Southern Slow Down begins, you will observe an increased presence of law enforcement officers on Florida’s highways.
It’s a way for state and local agencies to team up and encourage drivers to slow down, helping to reduce deadly crashes. Law enforcement across the state is urging drivers to obey the speed limit on interstates, highways, and roads.
“Nothing good comes from speeding. Drivers must make better choices to reduce crashes,” said Orange City Police Chief Wayne Miller.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers and local police agencies are intensifying efforts to enforce speed limit laws. Over the past twenty years, law enforcement estimates that speeding contributed to about one-third of deadly crashes in the state.
The number of deadly crashes decreased in 2023 compared to 2022, but troopers say that’s still not enough.
“There were 437 fatalities, and 1,245 serious injuries. That’s way too many. One is too many. But when we look at the data, we want that trend to go down and hopefully we can get to zero,” said Lt. Tara Crescenzi.
This year, during Operation Southern Slow Down, the state introduced a new speeding law that imposes harsher penalties for “super speeders.”
“You can go to jail if you’re caught doing 50 over the posted speed limit or 100 or more and you’re interfering with traffic,” said Lt. Crescenzi.
Law enforcement won’t hesitate to take excessive speeders to jail. This week during the operation, they’ll also be targeting aggressive drivers.
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