Are you planning to getaway before the end of summer? A lot of families are traveling by car to their vacation destination this year, after hearing about a large number of flights being canceled or delayed at airports around the country. With the increase of traffic on area highways and interstates, law enforcement agencies across the south are teaming up to make our roadways safer.

Lt. Bill Miller with the Tennessee Highway Patrol talked about Operation Slow Down, which will take place between July 18th through the 24th. Miller says the goal is to decrease serious accidents... Operation Slow Down involves not only State Troopers in Tennessee, but also Troopers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

To date, there have been a total of 23,754 auto accidents reported in Rutherford County. Of that number, 15 were fatal, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security.

The total number of fatal accidents in the Volunteer State are down by 7.9% this year, when compared to 2021. Law Enforcement want to reduce that number even more... State troopers and local law enforcement officers will conduct concentrated enforcement on interstates and state highways next week (July 18th - July 24th).

Reports indicate drivers across the country increased their driving speed throughout the COVID Pandemic. Some suggest there was an increase in speeding because there were fewer cars on roads as more people worked from home. The THP further confirmed that Troopers have seen a substantial increase in the number of vehicles traveling at speeds above 100 miles per hour in the last two years.

Again, Operation Slow Down will take place on July 18, 2022 through July 24, 2022. See the crash data for Tennessee HERE.

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