Albany, state law enforcement targeting impaired driving over holiday weekend

ALBANY — The Albany Police Department will be out in force over the holiday weekend, looking for distracted and impaired drivers, according to officials.

“This will be another weekend holiday travel period,” said Lt. William Dowdell of the Albany Police Department. “We want to remind everybody to use their safety restraints (seat belts) and to stay off the cellphones. If you have a passenger car, let someone else operate the cellphones or GPS and definitely with the impaired driving, let’s just not do it.”

Dowdell warns that law enforcement will have a strong presence on the streets over the holiday weekend, specifically targeting distracted and impaired drivers.

“Local law enforcement as well as the state law enforcement will be out looking for impaired drivers,” said Dowdell. “We are serious about it, especially during the holiday travel periods because there are a lot more people out driving and moving around during the holiday. So the extra enforcement will be vigilant so that we can try to keep fatalities down.”

According to Dowdell, more than 1,400 deaths have been reported on Georgia roads this year.

“So far this year, without the two that happened in Tift County yesterday, there have been 1,484 deaths throughout the state in car crashes,” said Dowdell. “What is surprising about that number is that roughly 59 percent, or 650 people, either did not have on some type of restraint device or did not wear a restraint at all.”

Dowdell pointed out that it is not always the major highways or interstates that prove to be most deadly.

“Thirty-six percent of those deaths were on what is considered to be local roads,” said Dowdell. “Roads like Palmyra, Dawson Road or Stuart Avenue. These are roads that are off of the state route system. If anybody does any drinking, make sure that there is somebody there that is going to be a designated driver who does not drink. If by chance you go out and everybody has a drink, there are a ton of cab services available.”

Many people celebrate the new year with fireworks, and although Georgia suffered through a drought over the last couple of months, recent rains have caused state restrictions to relax and fireworks will be allowed, according to officials.

“Fireworks have been allowed again because we have had some substantial rain here lately,” said Dowdell. “Just remember on the holiday, the fireworks must cease at 1 a.m.”