Police officers, sheriff's deputies and state troopers across Georgia are launching a statewide crackdown on drunken driving through upcoming the Fourth of July holiday.
The Governor's Office of Highway Safety says its summer campaign called Operation Zero Tolerance began today and will run for about two weeks. During that period, law enforcement officers in the state are expected to keep a close lookout for drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol.
State officials say 298 people died in alcohol-related crashes in 2010- roughly a fourth of traffic deaths in the state. The summer anti-DUI campaign in Georgia coincides with the national crackdown called 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.'
Why such a high-visibility campaign? Because in Georgia and nationwide, impaired driving is a deadly July 4 custom. 392 people were killed across the country during the Fourth of July travel period in 2010, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Of those deaths, 39 percent were in crashes that involved at least one driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.
Overall, drunk driving continues to be a problem in Georgia as well. In 2010, the state experienced 298 alcohol-related fatalities, which accounted for a quarter of all traffic deaths.
Pick-up truck drivers were most likely to have a BAC of .08 or higher in fatal crashes while Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Chatham and Richmond counties had the most alcohol-related fatalities of all 159 counties in Georgia.
To save lives on our roadways this Fourth of July, local law enforcement will be cracking down on impaired driving through increased sobriety checkpoints, roving and saturation patrols and other enforcement methods.
The fatality trend disproportionately affects young people. Of all Fourth of July impaired driving fatalities in 2010, 46 percent were between the ages of 18 and 34. So as folks across Georgia and the southeast get ready for food, fun and fireworks this July 4th, they should consider themselves warned.
If they drive impaired in Georgia, they will be caught and they will be arrested. No warnings. No excuses. If they don't drive sober, they will get pulled over.
For more information on Operation Zero Tolerance and the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org
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