JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is joining the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Florida Highway Patrol, and transportation and safety agencies in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee for the ninth annual Operation Southern Slow Down, a multi-state campaign aimed at reducing speed-related crashes.<\/p>\n
The weeklong initiative, running July 13-18, 2026, combines increased law enforcement with public education efforts encouraging drivers to slow down, obey speed limits and watch out for others on the road. <\/p>\n
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<<\/a><\/p>\n The campaign supports Florida\u2019s broader Target Zero initiative, which seeks to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries statewide.<\/p>\n \u201cUnsafe driver behaviors like speeding are a major contributor to fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways,\u201d FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue said. \u201cRemember that your actions behind the wheel can have life-altering impacts: slow down and drive responsibly to help get everyone to their destinations safely.\u201d<\/p>\n FHP Colonel Gary Howze said the operation unites law enforcement and safety partners across the Southeast around a common goal.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeeding is a conscious choice, and it\u2019s one that costs lives,\u201d Howze said. \u201cOperation Southern Slowdown brings Florida law enforcement and public safety partners across the Southeast United States together around a shared commitment to safer roads through increased enforcement, direct public outreach, and a unified message that reckless driving will not be tolerated.\u201d<\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/a>]<\/p>\n According to the 2024 Florida Traffic Crash Facts report, speeding accounts for roughly 6% of all traffic fatalities in the state. Officials say sustained enforcement and education efforts are key to lowering that number.<\/p>\n Allen Poole, director of the Georgia Governor\u2019s Office of Highway Safety, said the campaign\u2019s purpose extends beyond issuing citations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal for \u2018Operation Southern Slow Down\u2019 is not to write tickets but to get more drivers to see that traveling at slower and safer speeds prevents families and friends from losing loved ones in crashes that are preventable,\u201d Poole said.<\/p>\n Safety tips from officials include:<\/p>\n Faster speeds require longer stopping distances, which quadruple when speed doubles.Stay out of the far-left lane except when passing.Larger vehicles need more time and distance to stop, particularly on wet or uneven pavement.Slow down and brake before entering curves.Set a good example for young drivers by following posted speed limits.Wear a seat belt and ensure all passengers are buckled.Use extra caution in construction and school zones.Plan ahead and allow extra travel time to avoid the temptation to speed.<\/p>\n [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter<\/a>] <\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here<\/a> to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here<\/a> to stream Action News Jax live.<\/p>\n Action News Jax Top Stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is joining the Florida Department of Highway Safety and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":323350,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[344,347,28,1126,348,116,351,118,117,1598,349,138895,350,120720,138896,346,345],"class_list":["post-337416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-action-news-jax","tag-cbs47","tag-florida","tag-florida-department-of-transportation","tag-fox30","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-fl","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news","tag-law-enforcement","tag-northeast-florida","tag-operation-southern-slow-down","tag-southeast-georgia","tag-speed-limits","tag-speed-related-crashes","tag-wfox","tag-wjax"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}