Drunk Drivers to Be Targeted During Fourth of July Holiday

When you hit the road this weekend, buckle up everyone and designate a sober driver if you plan to drink.

July 4th remains one of the most dangerous holidays on Georgia roads and to combat that, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) is joining a national impaired driving enforcement effort to get drunk drivers off the roads.

To crack down on drunk driving this Fourth of July, law enforcement across the state will be out in full force, aggressively targeting those who put lives in danger by being impaired behind the wheel. In Georgia, GOHS will launch Operation Zero Tolerance in conjunction with the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. If you’re over the limit, you’ll be under arrest.

“This July 4th holiday, you can show your patriotism by helping to make Georgia’s roads safer for everyone by driving sober or making sure you have a sober ride home,” said GOHS Director Harris Blackwood in a statement. “Drunk driving is a zero tolerance offense. No warnings. You will be arrested and you will go to jail.”

The good news is Fourth of July travel period crash and injury rates decreased slightly over the last year, but they were still far too high. Similarly, fatality rates remained even with six over a 30-hour travel period in 2012 and 20 over a 102-hour travel period in 2013. GOHS will continue Operation Zero Tolerance until those numbers reach zero.

“We are still experiencing one traffic fatality every five hours in Georgia during what is supposed to be a fun, summer holiday,” said Blackwood. “That means there are 20 people who won’t be celebrating our nation’s independence this year.”

This year, Operation Zero Tolerance started on June 20 and runs through July 6.

For more information on Operation Zero Tolerance, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org.