LOWNDES COUNTY, GA (WALB) -
Georgia law enforcers kicked off the annual Operation Zero Tolerance highway safety campaign today.
The Lowndes County Sheriff's Office is teaming up with the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to try to keep roads safe during the holidays.
"I'm looking for anyone that's driving 81 or faster," said Deputy Mike Adams, Lowndes County Sheriff's Office.
Starting today you may wonder why there are double the amount of patrol cars on Georgia roads. Officers will be cracking down on reckless drivers over the next two weeks. It's called Operation Zero Tolerance.
"We're not going to give you a ride home if you're DUI, we're going to go out and enforce traffic safety; seat-belts, anything between now and New Years Day is zero-tolerance," said Adams.
Today the Sheriff's Office's SPEED team received $70,000 worth of equipment from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to patrol streets better. Deputy Adams says around the holidays drivers become more careless. From celebrating holiday vacation time to Christmas parties, the fatality risk is too high.
Deputies say using speed detection lasers is the best way to find out if drivers are doing a little more than just speeding.
"All kinds of things can come out of it, from felony stops, to stolen cars, drugs, to wanted people, to DUI," said Cpl. Thomas Altman, LCSO.
Since the Sheriff's Office created the SPEED team in April, traffic fatalities this year have dropped 37 percent in the county.
"There's a bar around the state of Georgia called 'Two Beers' because every time you say, 'How much have you had to drink?' They always say 'two beers.' So for some reason they think that if you tell them two beers that they won't check you or something," said Adams.
And it's that law enforcement mentality that's dedicated to keeping our streets safe this holiday season.
The statewide Zero Tolerance Campaign will run through January 1st.
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