Traffic

Monday marked the beginning of a weeklong program to reduce summertime wrecks and traffic deaths across five southeastern states, including Alabama.  

“Operation Southern Shield” kicked off Monday in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. 

The operation is meant to crack down on motorists who ignore the major factors in automobile crashes and deaths – speeding, impaired and distracted driving and not wearing a seat belt, according to an Alabama State Trooper press release.

The campaign is sandwiched between other major highway safety campaigns and is being conducted in response to the high volume of traffic associated with summer travel and vacations. The campaign’s goal is to achieve a period of zero fatalities.

Extra patrols are being funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Statistics from the agency show wrecks killed around 35,000 people in the United States in 2015, an increase of 7 percent from 2014. 

Traffic fatalities increased in 2015 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Deaths were down slightly in Tennessee. 

Lt. Jeff Warnke with the Cullman Police Department said his department is not technically a part of the operation, but officers going on patrol have been told to be more vigilant this week. 

“As for bringing in more personnel, we have not,” he said. 

Local officers say they do see the results of people speeding or driving recklessly. Warnke reminded local drivers to be safer on the road. 

“Everybody does need to slow down,” he said. “As they say, speed kills.”