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“Operation Southern Shield” speeding crackdown starts today

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Law enforcement agents in several southern states are participating in enforcement activities targeting speeding drivers this week.

“Operation Southern Shield” will be taking place on interstates, highways, and local roads from Monday, July 16 through Sunday, July 22. Drivers who are breaking the law by traveling above the posted speed limit will be targeted during the enforcement effort.

The states participating in the enforcement activities are Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee.  State police will be working with local law enforcement agencies in coordinating joint enforcement efforts during the campaign.

Sgt. Bob Beres, of the South Carolina Highway Patrol says that drivers traveling even slightly above the speed limit won’t get a break: “We have what’s called an absolute speed law and whatever the sign says, that’s what it needs to be.”

The speeding crackdown is an attempt to make highway safer for drivers and to cut down on speeding related fatalities.

During last year’s Operation Southern Shield campaign, law enforcement officers in Georgia alone issued 12,469 speeding tickets, and made 472 felony arrests, according to WMCA Action News.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that speeding was a factor in the deaths of over 10,000 people in the U.S. in 2016.

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