Some drivers are smiling after being stopped by Tennessee cops

Police in one Tennessee town are trying out an unusual tactic to enforce a new speed limit reduction.

This week, officers with the Ethridge Police Department have been participating in the “Safe Driving Pays Off” campaign.

The enforcement campaign is a response to a reduction in the speed limit on Highway 43 in Ethridge, Tennessee, from 55 m.p.h. to 45 m.p.h.

As part of the campaign, officers are rewarding drivers who are traveling at the exact new speed limit by pulling them over and surprising them with gift cards.

“We really wanted to do something that stood out to not only promote the new change in speed limit, but to do something to spread a little bit of the Christmas cheer to those traveling through our community,” stated EPD Chief Vance Jack.

But the enforcement campaign isn’t all about holiday goodwill and cheer — the Ethridge Police Department says that they are also on the lookout for drivers who violate the new speed limit.

“With the number of traffic crashes we’ve experienced in recent years and the growing number of vehicles on the highway, it makes sense to slow folks down to a safer speed through town,” Jack said.

Violating the new speed limit could result in a $200 citation.