Georgia law enforcement plans crackdown on drunk driving through Labor Day

ALBANY — Georgia law enforcement officials have launched a DUI campaign leading up to Labor Day and are promising zero tolerance for impaired drivers.

The state has joined a national effort to get drunk drivers off the road leading to a safe and sober end-of-summer holiday weekend.

“People need to realize that drunk driving is not only deadly, but illegal, and it’s illegal 24/7/365,” Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Harris Blackwood said. “Unfortunately, drunk driving is still a problem in Georgia, with far too many people becoming statistics.

“It’s not only your responsibility to drive sober, but to also be on the lookout for other drivers who could be drunk. It’s everybody’s business, because everybody is at risk when a drunk driver gets behind the wheel.”

The high-visibility enforcement campaign will run through Labor Day (Sept. 5) and, during this period, local law enforcement will launch increased patrols and sobriety check points with the aim of reducing drunk driving crashes, injuries and fatalities. Law enforcement will focus particularly on the Labor Day weekend as motorists hit the road for one last summer vacation.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 10,000 people died annually between 2010 and 2014 in drunk driving crashes. In Georgia during 2014, there were 8,931 alcohol-related crashes that resulted in 5,250 injuries and 165 fatalities.

Just during the labor Day weekend that year, 40 percent of nationwide traffic fatalities involved drunk drivers. 83 percent of the alcohol-related fatalities during the 2014 holiday weekend occurred between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m., as compared with 50 percent during those hours for the rest of the year.

Georgia GOHS officials are urging everyone who plans to celebrate the holiday weekend to download the Drive Sober, Georgia smartphone app before hitting the road. The app provides a list of sober ride programs by region and can be a lifesaving tool, they say.

“The cost of a ride-sharing service or a cab is nothing compared to the thousands of dollars it will cost you if you are charged with impaired driving,” Blackwood said. “There is no price tag that can be placed on the lives of those who are lost in traffic crashes caused by drunk and impaired drivers.”

In 2014, 40 percent of crash deaths involved drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. Twenty-eight percent involved drivers with a .15 BAC or higher, which is twice the legal limit.

“There are people who like to pretend that the laws don’t apply to them,” Blackwood said. “Whether you stay in Georgia for the holiday weekend or head to one of the lakes or beaches offered by our five neighboring states, you’ll encounter zero tolerance for impaired drivers and a .08 BAC will send you straight to jail.”

For more information on Georgia’s programs to end impaired driving, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org or call (404) 656-6996.