Troopers urge safety on New Year's - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Troopers urge safety on New Year's

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By Gianna Caserta - bio | email

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ALBANY, GA (WALB) -

Many of you will celebrate New Year's Eve with a few drinks. If you do, you better not drive.

If the danger isn't enough to convince you, consider the consequences.

A DUI arrest will send you to jail and could end up costing you thousands of dollars.

As Americans prepare for holiday celebrations, troopers are cautioning drivers to also plan for a sober designated driver. 

"During this period, we are going to be looking for people that are driving under the influence of alcohol, we are looking for people that are speeding, that are driving unsafely"

Troopers say during New Year's weekend, drivers are more likely to get behind the wheel intoxicated.

"Some people think that they have taken a break from drinking and their alcohol level has come down and so they are trying to ease home and that is when they get caught,"

The increase in drunken driving forces officials to step up patrols. AAA says the New Year's holiday ranks as the year's deadliest day for alcohol related fatalities.

"We are looking at if they are maintaining their lane of travel, they are not running off the road, they are not crossing the center line, sometimes people have the tendency to not turn on their headlights, so those are the things that catch our eye, catch our attention, and also speeding sometimes"

Last year, there were seven deadly crashes and 262 DUI arrests on Georgia roads during the New Year's holiday period.

And if danger isn't enough to deter you from getting behind the wheel drunk, the affect it can have on your life should be.

"Some people do not want to hire someone who has a record and then on top of that you are going to have to be able to get back and forth from work so if your drivers license is suspended, you are not going to be able to do that, so they can't depend on you to come back and forth to work"

So if you plan to enjoy your holiday with a champagne toast, or any type of alcohol, make sure you don't get behind the wheel.

If you're arrested for driving under the influence, you can expect fines and fees to add up to $10,000 or more.

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