Operation Southern Slow Down to target speeding SWFL drivers

Starting Monday, law enforcement agencies are teaming up to target speeding drivers in Southwest Florida with Operation Southern Slow Down.

Operation Southern Slow Down is a multi-state weeklong campaign, ending Saturday, to educate drivers on speeding dangers and to increase the enforcement of traffic laws. For drivers, it’s a reminder that speed kills. The Florida Highway Patrol tells WINK News it’s all about making sure people know how to be safer on the road.

“In 2021, we had over 66,000 crashes just in the state of Florida, just in the month of June and July,” said Lt. Greg Bueno with FHP.

In 2021, in June and July alone, 565 people in Florida died from a crash, and neighbors in Southwest Florida tell WINK News that’s why some of them, like Fort Myers resident Stephanie Roskow, are riding scooters or other modes of transportation every morning instead of their cars. Roskow says she is just one of many people concerned about speeding and aggressive driving in the area.

“I actually ride this more often than driving my car because it’s safer,” Roskow said. “There are a ton of crashes. I live on a main road and I see them all the time… the more education out there, I think, the better, for sure.”

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