Operation "Arrive Alive Southern Shield" is a campaign to focus on speeding, one of the leading contributing factors as it relates to injury and fatality crashes it is of major concern during the heavily traveled summer season.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Association has reported an increase in speed related crashes so far in 2017 and we have seen this to be true here in our community as well. So the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office along with all of the partners in the Tennessee Highway Safety Office will be putting an extra focus to slow drivers down so they reach their destinations safely.

The Sheriff's Office will be utilizing its electronic message boards reminding drivers of the hazards of speeding as well as what penalties they could face if they are caught exceeding the posted speed limit.

In Rutherford County as of June 30, 2017, there have been 5,902 crashes with 1,438 of those crashes being injury crashes totaling 2,223 injuries. As of July 13, 2017, 19 people lost their lives on the roadways. Although this is 4 less than year to date numbers from 2016 of 23, it is still too many.

Deputies will be looking for you if you are exceeding the posted speed limit. A speeding citation in Rutherford County will seriously hurt your pocket book, but it may save your life or prevent you from being seriously injured. That is our goal!

Message Boards will be on Shelbyville Pike and Lebanon Pike as they have been highlighted as troubled areas where speed is of major concern. Deputies will also be focusing on these areas during this campaign between the hours of 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. strictly enforcing the Speed Limits.