Law enforcement officers came together for the launch of Operation Southern Slow Down at Daytona International Speedway. Photo by Rachel Mills
Loreen Bobo, P.E., FDOT District Five Public Administrator, Port Orange Police Chief Manuel Marino, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, FHP Troop D Commander Major Mark Castleberry, FDOT District Five Director of Transportation Operations Jim Stroz, P.E., Daytona International Speedway President Frank Kelleher. Photo by Rachel Mills
Port Orange Police Chief Manuel Marino and Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods prepare to speak at the press conference to launch Operation Southern Slow Down. Photo by Rachel Mills
Law enforcement officers came together for the launch of Operation Southern Slow Down at Daytona International Speedway. Photo by Rachel Mills
Law enforcement officers came together for the launch of Operation Southern Slow Down at Daytona International Speedway. Photo by Rachel Mills
Law enforcement officers came together for the launch of Operation Southern Slow Down at Daytona International Speedway. Photo by Rachel Mills
Law enforcement officers came together for the launch of Operation Southern Slow Down at Daytona International Speedway. Photo by Rachel Mills
Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies came together at the Daytona International Speedway to launch the ninth annual Operation Southern Slow Down.
Florida joins Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee in a coordinated traffic safety campaign with a shared mission to encourage drivers to take responsibility for making good decisions on the road.
“Our shared mission is straightforward to encourage every driver to respect posted speed limits and make safer choices behind the wheel,” said Maj. Mark Castleberry, FHP Troop D Commander. “Throughout the campaign, troopers, deputies, and police officers will be conducting high visibility enforcement on both local roads and major interstates.”
Castleberry called upon all drivers to help as well.
“If you observe aggressive or dangerous driving, please report it by calling 911 or STAR FHP, which is Star 347,” Castleberry said. “[Law enforcement’s] presence is intended to deter dangerous driving behavior and reinforce the fact that roadway safety is a responsibility we all share.”
This effort is just one way for authorities to counter the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer” which refers to the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when car accidents and fatalities spike each year especially among young, inexperienced drivers.
“Even one fatality is one too many,” said Jim Stroz, FDOT District 5 director of Transportation Operations.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods shared a story of four young adults between the ages of 21-22 years of age.
“The female driver failed to negotiate the curve at the speed in which she was traveling,” Woods said. “[She] took on a concrete wall, basically, is what it was, killed her instantly, car ignited on fire. As far as we can tell, two of the four were alive and the car was burning. They were trapped inside. I had her at 136 [mph] when she struck a concrete wall. So if you want to know consequences, it’s not necessarily the fines or going to jail. It’s lives.”
Operation Southern Slow Down is a reminder for drivers to take a minute and take a breath because decisions can have a large and sometimes permanent impact on young lives.
“One decision, one act that changes not only their lives forever, but their families and our communities,” said Manuel Marino, the Port Orange police chief.
