VPD participates in Operation Southern Shield to stop speeders

Valdosta Police are participating in the second annual "Operation Southern Shield" speed enforcement operation – aimed at cracking down on speeders.

Georgia is one of the five states alongside Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina who participate in this campaign. Law enforcement in those states will be pulling over drivers who are traveling above the legal speed limit on interstates, highways, and local roads from Monday, July 16, through Sunday, July 22.

On Wednesday, July 18, VPD Chief Brian Childress joined the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Lowndes County Sheriff's Office, Georgia State Patrol, and Florida Highway Patrol to host a press conference about Operation Southern Shield.

"Georgia and Florida are law enforcement strong, we are all together, and work together for one purpose," said Childress. "Our number one and sole goal is to make sure our city, county, and state roads are safe, speed kills."

The Governor's Office of Highway Safety released the following statement in a press release:

According to the latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding killed more than 10,000 people in the United States in 2016 and was a factor in 27 percent of fatal crashes in the nation.

A recent study from the United States Department of Transportation found that speed was a factor in 31 percent of fatal crashes in the U.S. from 2005-2014.

According to preliminary numbers from the Georgia Department of Transportation, the number of traffic deaths reported in the state during last year's Southern Shield was 35 percent lower than the other three weeks of July.

Specifically, there were 25 traffic deaths reported in Georgia during Operation Southern Shield from July 17-23 compared to 34 on July 3-9, 41 on July 10-16 and 39 from July 24-30.

Troopers with the Georgia State Patrol and local law enforcement officers combined to issue 12,469 speeding citations over the seven-day period and took 552 suspected DUI drivers to jail and also made 472 felony arrests.

For more information about the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, follow us on Facebook at Georgia GOHS, and on Twitter and Instagram at gohsgeorgia.