![]() |
![]() |
|
Operation Zero Tolerance looking for drunken drivers this weekendA cold cocktail or frosty beer may sound like a great way to enjoy a summer holiday weekend, but only if you're not driving. The Georgia State Patrol kicks off the Independence Day holiday weekend at 6 tonight, and the Governor's Office of Highway Safety has released some sobering statistics. The July Fourth holiday driving period is the second-most deadly driving period of the year behind the New Year's holiday. This weekend, Operation Zero Tolerance will saturate the state's highways with sobriety checkpoints and concentrated patrols as part of the 100 Days of Summer Heat campaign. Last year on Georgia roads, 18 people died and 787 were injured during the Fourth of July holiday travel period. Between 6 tonight and midnight Tuesday, the Georgia State Patrol predicts that 23 people will die this year in 2,700 accidents that will injure 1,300 people. "Nationally, nearly half of all traffic fatalities over the July Fourth holiday are alcohol-related," Bob Dallas, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, said in a release. "That's why we're working overtime with highway safety advocates and our law-enforcement partners to target the travel periods when impaired driving and July Fourth holiday traffic volumes are historically the highest on our roadways." More than 500 law-enforcement agencies will maximize staffing through July 9 in the campaign. "Too many people still don't understand that alcohol and drugs and driving just don't mix," Dallas said. "Impaired driving is no accident. That's why we call them crashes, not accidents." The Governor's Office of Highway Safety is encouraging motorcyclists to be especially careful, since studies show that almost twice as many bikers are killed in crashes at lower blood-alcohol levels than drivers of other vehicles, according to the release. To help increase motorcycle safety, Georgia is experimenting with a statewide pilot program called Riders Helping Riders. The program, now included in all motorcycle safety training programs through the Georgia Department of Driver Services, encourages riders to recognize when bikers are impaired and step in to prevent them from getting on their motorcycles.
|