Twelve people were killed, and more than 400 people are facing driving under the influence charges, during the Independence Day travel period in Georgia, state authorities said at their early Monday afternoon count.
The Georgia State Patrol responded to crashes that killed eight people and injured 174 people. In total, the state agency was called to 296 crashes.
Other law-enforcement agencies responded to crashes that killed four more people during the travel period that started at 6 p.m. Thursday and ended at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, the GSP said.
Troopers investigated 29 crashes involving a driver being under the influence and 18 crashes involving commercial vehicles, according to the data.
Authorities charged 424 people with driving under the influence and 790 people with distracted driving, the GSP said. More than 1,000 seatbelt citations were distributed.
Prior to the travel period, Colonel William W. Hitchens III, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, encouraged drivers to take precaution as they traveled for the widely-celebrated Fourth of July.
AAA expected 61.4 million people to travel by car nationally for the annual holiday.
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