Troopers begin enforcing 'Operation Slow Down'

The operation runs through Feb. 22.

“The purpose of the operation is to reduce speed-related collisions on North Carolina interstates,” Reuben Young, secretary of the state's Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, said in a news release.

“During the past four years, 359 motorists have been killed and 14,297 injured in 50,222 collisions on our interstates. Speed is the leading cause of those collisions," he said.

Stepped-up enforcement and patrols will be conducted across the state, focusing on motorists speeding on interstates and major four-lane highways.

“Troopers are determined to reduce fatal collisions in North Carolina by going after speeders who recklessly endanger our citizens,” said Col. Walter Wilson Jr., commander of the Highway Patrol. “Speeding is the leading cause of traffic deaths and collisions in our state. Operation Slow Down will help in our efforts to reverse that trend.”