Drivers going more than 50 mph over the speed limit will be the main focus of law enforcement as they begin their annual road safety operation this week.
Operation Southern Slow Down, first created in 2017, began on Monday with law enforcement in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.
“Speeding violations issued for 50 over the speed limit have doubled since 2012,” said Maj. Thomas Pikul, Troop Commander for the Florida Highway Patrol.
“50 MPH over the speed limit is a staggering rate of speed. And bad things can happen at that speed.”
One of the worst examples of a high-speed crash came in November of last year.
Cape Coral Police say 17-year-old Thomas Wilson was driving 106 mph on Skyline Boulevard, a 35 mph road, when he crashed into another vehicle, killing that driver.
Wilson, who is charged with vehicular manslaughter, will be tried as an adult.
“I know as a society we tend to be numb to tragedy. But this was preventable. If they weren’t speeding, the collision likely wouldn’t have happened,” said Officer Brandon Sancho with the Cape Coral Police Department.
In Florida, drivers going more than 50 mph over the speed limit are considered “excessive speeders.”
A first-time offense comes with a $1,000 fine.
“Increasing speeds has become a real serious problem for us,” said Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk. “Our accidents are increasing, our injuries are increasing, our fatalities are increasing.”
Rambosk says his department also tracks drivers going more than 30 mph over the speed limit.
“Last month alone we issued 110 violations just for that,” said Rambosk.
