**Quick Notice of Operation Southern Shield**

The "Operation Southern Shield" speed enforcement and awareness campaign started today, which means drivers with a heavy foot need to keep an eye on their speedometers.

The southeastern regional campaign, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, returns for a fourth year after reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the first three years of the week-long enforcement period compared to the week before and after the enforcement effort.

This year's "Southern Shield" campaign reinforces the message on the dangers of driving above the legal speed limit. Area enforcement officers feel it’s more important than in previous years as there are fewer vehicles traveling on interstates and major highways during the pandemic and this has contributed to an increase in speeding in most areas across the United States. Operation Southern Shield lasts for an entire week. 

https://wdef.com/2020/07/17/op...ld-starts-july-20th/

Stay safe while driving,don't drive distracted.

I saw three (3) pulled over on the way into Atlanta this morning and one (1) pulled over at lunch. This is higher than normL in my experience, so this appears ro be good info.

I used to have to participate in "operations" like this. I used to ask my bosses why we needed to have lots of enforcement during one week or month, but not in others.
Never got a real answer.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I used to have to participate in "operations" like this. I used to ask my bosses why we needed to have lots of enforcement during one week or month, but not in others.
Never got a real answer.

revenue generation....

Thank you Valentine One.
Again.

quote:

dangers of driving above the legal speed limit.

Most people would care about this if the legal speed limit were reasonable. In residential areas yes, but we have 4 lane roads here in Denver (4 lanes each direction) where the limit is 30 or 35. It's ridiculous. Same with 55 on an Interstate.

Speed doesn't kill. Differential speed kills.

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
Speed doesn't kill. Differential speed kills.

I always thought it was the sudden stop that kills...

When I lived in Massachusetts, I owned a radar detector as most of the roads were still flagged 55, even after the feds got rid of the mandate.

Now that I live in Florida, and the highway speed limit is 70, I no longer bother. If I am going over 70, I'm burning a ton of fuel, and if I do the math on most of my drives, I'm just not going to save enough time to justify the fuel cost and risk.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I used to have to participate in "operations" like this. I used to ask my bosses why we needed to have lots of enforcement during one week or month, but not in others.
Never got a real answer.

Me too.

And it’s not a revenue generator for the cities in NC, all proceeded from uniform citations go to the state....the only thing that benefits the officers, is that three dollars goes to the retirement system..it may have gone up since I retired.

Those of us who had radars, were told to got forth during programs like this, the rest of the time we were in the hood fighting crime.

quote:

Speed doesn't kill. Differential speed kills.

This, mostly. I always felt safe on the Autobahn going like the hounds of hell were after me, and being passed by people with even faster cars and bikes, because the differential speeds weren't out of line (unless you came upon a hapless Trabi...). Although, I've got to say, when things go south at those speeds, it's pretty ugly.

Sudden stops kill.

"there are fewer vehicles traveling on interstates and major highways during the pandemic and this has contributed to an increase in speeding in most areas"

More traffic, speed goes down. Less traffic speed goes up. Who knew?

Like Artie, driving on the autobahn was pure joy.

If your not actively passing you must stay to the right, don't comply - get a ticket.

If you don't yield to a faster driver - get a ticket.

If you drive a truck and aren't in the far right lane - get a ticket.

If you don't slow down in marked areas - get a ticket.

Don't use your blinker to change lanes/make a turn - get a ticket.

If you want to drive 100 mph or more - Kein problem as long as your vehicle is properly maintained/equipped and your not eating/drinking/using your phone.

Your car is for driving, not a virtual office, not for shaving or putting on make up, not for texting/using your phone, etc.

My family and I never felt safer driving on roads than in Europe. We averaged 100-120 mph on the autobahn and never had a single worry.

Here in the US, wherein everyone is doing everything other than driving, we always worry if there are a lot of other drivers on the road.

If the highway is wide open, the conditions are good, there is no reason for operations like southern shield as the OP posted.

Covid has really hit the state coffers, why is anyone surprised.

I haven't written a traffic ticket since '96. Don't plan on writing one any time soon.

80 mph Interstate limit on probably 95% of the system in the state.

Two lane highways 70 mph for most part, which means 75-80 mph.

Yet we really don't have terrible speed related accidents. Despite everyone at 75-85 mph.

Most of our fatals are from lack oof a seat belt or DUI and no seatbelt.

I used to hate these Rah-Rah, Go get em, bullshit enforcement programs.

It always facinates me when reading here to see the various interpretations and reaponses. I suppose I didn't specifically state the purpose of my thread so that allows for it to meander not unlike the multitude of distracted drivers I see each day on the way to and from work. My goal was simply to warn those in the impacted area that there would likely be increased chances of being ticketed for speeding.

YooperSigs, I agree, it shouldn't be a weekly focus to enforce specific laws, but instead a consistent focus. Around here, some of the worst offenders seem to be LEOs. That isn't a dig against, it is simply an observation from someone commuting around eighty (80) miles per day.

Whether it's directly an attempt to generate revenue or not, who cares? If you don't want to contribute to "the man," then don't speed or don't get caught. Chances are everyone has gotten away with speeding more than they have been caught.

Drivers here in the US are mostly distracted driving and it probably shows in the accident statistics. Anyone is welcome to dig into that if desired.

Finally, why does someone always have to figure out a way to shoehorn COVID into things? I mean damn, a 500 + page thread isn't good enough, every thread must be infected with the garbage. I challenge anyone to find an hour of your day where you don't hear about COVID, hell, the only time I don't hear it is while I am sleeping. For all of those who just aren't satisfied yet, COVID, COVID, COVID,COVID, COVID, COVID,COVID, COVID, COVID,COVID, COVID, COVID,COVID, COVID, COVID, and COVID. There, are you satisfied now? There are now more mentions of COVID in this thread than posts. Hell, let's just crank it to 11 and see if we can't just turn this into "the new COVID" thread. Come on guys, only 500+ pages to go.

quote:

Originally posted by Scurvy:
Covid has really hit the state coffers, why is anyone surprised.

Yet the article clearly states: returns for a fourth year after reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the first three years of the week-long enforcement period compared to the week before and after the enforcement effort.

Try again.

I also had to work enforcement details along with the seat belt campaigns etc..

I hated them all.

I enjoyed working traffic accidents but I hated writing tickets and to be forced to do it sucked even more.

I was always pegged on evaluations for not writing enough Uniform Traffic Summons.

I thought the same thing;; Why is this week, month year more important or special than the rest."

No wonder I was always on the list

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Finally, why does someone always have to figure out a way to shoehorn COVID into things? I mean damn, a 500 + page thread isn't good enough, every thread must be infected with the garbage. I challenge anyone to find an hour of your day where you don't hear about COVID, hell, the only time I don't hear it is while I am sleeping. For all of those who just aren't satisfied yet, COVID, COVID, COVID,COVID, COVID, COVID,COVID, COVID, COVID,COVID, COVID, COVID,COVID, COVID, COVID, and COVID. There, are you satisfied now? There are now more mentions of COVID in this thread than posts. Hell, let's just crank it to 11 and see if we can't just turn this into "the new COVID" thread. Come on guys, only 500+ pages to go.

COVID???

Oh, do you mean The WuHan Red Death? Is that still a thing?

quote:

Originally posted by VictimNoMore:

quote:

Originally posted by Scurvy:
Covid has really hit the state coffers, why is anyone surprised.

Yet the article clearly states: returns for a fourth year after reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the first three years of the week-long enforcement period compared to the week before and after the enforcement effort.

Try again.

Ah, I didn't realize you were one of those people just believed everything they saw/read in media or heard from their government...

If it was really about reducing traffic injuries and fatalities, why wouldnt they just do it all year? Why have it for one week only unless its to cover a budget shortfall.