A sea of flashing lights on a Georgia interstate. State troopers pulled over on the shoulder, measuring speed with radar guns while traffic blurs by at 90. It’s not just a warning, it’s a crackdown.
Operation Southern Slow Down is back. And this year, the stakes are even higher.
🚦 Why It Matters: Speeding is killing more people than ever. In Georgia, 349 people died in speed-related crashes last year—a 35% jump from 2019. Across the five participating states, the death toll reached 1,604.
These aren’t just numbers. They’re stories cut short because someone couldn’t wait.
👮 What’s Happening: From July 14 to 20, law enforcement across Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee will be coordinating an aggressive effort to curb speeding. Florida’s campaign ends on the 19th.
- In 2024, Georgia troopers issued over 62,000 citations and warnings during the operation. Nearly 80% were for speeding.
- DUI arrests hit 446. Another 1,200 warnings were issued for distracted driving.
🎯 Between The Lines: More young drivers and motorcyclists dying due to speeding. In Georgia, 37% of male drivers aged 15–20 killed in crashes had been speeding. For motorcyclists aged 21–24, the number is even worse: more than half were speeding when they died.
🚨 Catch Up Quick: Nationally, speed-related deaths jumped 22% between 2019 and 2023. In the Southeast, most of these crashes aren’t happening on interstates—they’re happening on everyday roads.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
