FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2024
CONTACT: ARRIALE TABSON
Mobile: 615-767-3242
TENNESSEE JOINS ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA FOR "OPERATION SOUTHERN SLOW DOWN" TO INCREASE SPEED ENFORCEMENT ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST
Tennessee Highway Safety Office Hosts Kick-Off Press Event in Murfreesboro on July 15
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – On Monday, July 15, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) will join the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, Murfreesboro Police Department, and Smyrna Police Department to kick off "Operation Southern Slow Down," a multi-state mobilization to crack down on speeding from July 15 to July 19, 2024. The purpose of this eighth annual traffic safety campaign is to increase speed enforcement on major highways and high-risk locations during a travel period when the rate of fatal crashes is highest throughout the Southeast. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the number of fatal speed-related crashes in the five NHTSA Region 4 states increased by 14 percent over a five-year period, from 2018 to 2022. The five NHTSA Region 4 states include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Simultaneous press events will take place in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Memphis on July 15, along with the other four states representing NHTSA Region 4. During each press event, speakers will discuss recent crash data, enforcement tactics, and safe driving tips.
WHAT: “Operation Southern Slow Down" Press Event
WHEN: Monday, July 15, 2024
10 a.m. CST
WHERE: The Outpost Armory
1132 Beasie Road, Murfreesboro, TN 37128
SPEAKERS:
Tennessee Highway Safety Office
Tennessee Highway Patrol
Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh, Rutherford County Sheriff's Office
Lt. Greg Walker, Murfreesboro Police Department
Chief Jason Irvin, Smyrna Police Department
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s mission is to serve, secure, and protect the people of Tennessee.
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The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) is a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security advocating for traffic safety. The THSO works in tandem with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to implement statewide programs addressing occupant protection, impaired driving, speed enforcement, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and crash data collection and analysis. Programs administered by the THSO are 100 percent federally funded. The THSO’s mission is to effectively develop, implement, and evaluate these programs. To learn more, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.