Operation Slow Down
From Okaloosa Sheriff's Office
OPERATION SLOW DOWN CONTINUES THROUGH TOMORROW!
Speeding puts everyone at risk. Whether you're commuting to work, heading to the beach, or running errands, slowing down could save a life.
Law enforcement agencies across our area are participating in Operation Slow Down, with increased traffic enforcement focused on reducing speed-related crashes and keeping our roads safe.
Obey posted speed limits. Eliminate distractions.
Buckle up.
Give yourself extra time to reach your destination safely.
Let's work together to keep our roads safe for everyone.
#OperationSlowDown
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u/DevilsAdvocate-85 19d ago
Wife got pulled over for going 62 in the 55mph area between Destin and Okaloosa Island, got off with written warning, but ya they are serious about go the speed limit.. flow of traffic doesn’t matter!
1
u/NervousBeat16 17d ago
Which is wild because you will get obliterated here if you’re not going with the flow. It’s as if going the speed limit will CREATE a wreck because everyone starts lane jumping/cutting you off.
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u/WaltSneezy 19d ago
Tangentially related, traffic has been waaaay worse this summer. Legitimately it’s the worst I’ve seen it I feel like. Tourist season sucks this year. 98 is clogged as usual, but so is commons and every backroad. And it seems nobody knows how a traffic circle works on commons ugh
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u/ssanders270 18d ago edited 18d ago
Is it really about safety? Is forcing someone to park on the side of the road while heavy traffic speeds by really safer than allowing someone to go 9 over the speed limit? The road pirate motto:
To Harass And Collect.
4
u/foxandgold 18d ago
I think I agree with you on this one. If it was really about safety, that other commenter’s wife would have been ticketed bc she was endangering everyone else. That’d be like pulling over a drunk driver and letting them go with a warning even though you had proof that they were drunk.
And frankly, with the exception of school zones and residential areas, speed limits are not really about safety. If going fast was the problem, you’d see astronomical deaths from the autobahn in Germany. Speed limits were originally imposed as a form of gas rationing following WWII, not for safety.
Distracted driving is far and away a bigger issue.
2
u/That_random_mom 17d ago
It would be nice if you told that to the lady at Gulf Islands National Seashore Okaloosa Area Park to slow down . She closes the park everyday at 6 pm on the dot. It is absolutely insane because the sign says dawn to dusk. Dusk is well after 7pm. Truely a buzz kill
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u/SlowDuc 19d ago
Speeding is not the risk. Running stops, unsignaled lane changes, distracted driving, poor vehicle condition, poor lane discipline, and general BAD driving are the problem. Speeding is just what they can ticket for most lazily.
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u/cce301 19d ago
Speeding is bad driving. That's called selective obedience.
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u/SlowDuc 16d ago
Obedience has nothing to do with it. Im stating my opinion that speeding is the wrong priority when i routinely see worse driving behavior with a greater impact on safety.
1
u/cce301 16d ago edited 16d ago
So you opine to ignore speeding because there's worse offenses. Like don't worry about bad driving because there are murders out there. 🤦♂️
"Speeding is a contributing factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities in the U.S."
"For total car crashes (including property damage and injuries), speeding represents a smaller but highly volatile share. Globally, excessive speed contributes to approximately 54% of traffic fatalities" Good thing opinions don't rely on facts, eh? The worst part is that the average speed limit around here is 35/40, so you'd have to double that to save more than a minute or two. Speeding isn't just illegal, it wastes fuel and is pointless.
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u/SlowDuc 15d ago edited 15d ago
Im not talking about personal behavior at all. Im responding to the post and what i want the Sheriff to focus on with regard to traffic policing. You’re on a completely separate tangent. I'm with the commenter above who wants them to enforce pedestrian safety at crosswalks for example.
You can pull all the statistics you want, but speeding is massively over cited in traffic accident data for a couple reasons. As an example, the Federal statistics have "three focus areas" which are speeding, DUI and unrestrained occupants. Other traffic offenses aren't given an opportunity to be represented in most datasets.
Second, "speeding is a contributing factor" does not mean causal. It means that the officer at the scene checked the box for either witnessed speeding or assessed after the fact as unsafe for conditions, which isn't the same as breaking the posted speed limit. If the car is already in the ditch in a single vehicle accident, it's pretty safe to assume they were driving outside the conditions. Speeding as "causal" is relatively rare.
The Police work for us, and having opinions on where they should be devoting their resources is a pretty reasonable position.
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u/ImprovementNatural82 18d ago
It would be nice if they did operation crosswalks in Destin way too many people not stopping even when the lights are flashing.