State Troopers Increase Patrols For July 4th Travel Period

ATLANTA, GA — Troopers with the Georgia State Patrol are gearing up for the July 4 holiday travel period, which will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 3 and end at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, July 4.

The agency notes the 2018 time frame is much shorter than the 2017 holiday period, which was 102 hours long. In 2017, the Georgia State Patrol investigated 645 traffic crashes that resulted in 323 injuries and nine death. Additionally, troopers issued 9,983 citations, 14,767 warnings, and made 288 DUI arrests.

“During the travel period, troopers will be on high visibility patrols watching for those who are driving impaired or distracted, not wearing seat belts, and other traffic violations that could potentially cause a traffic crash,” said Colonel Mark McDonough, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

Along with a shorter time span, this year's travel period will also be unique in that it will be the first in which Georgia's Hands-Free Law will be in effect. Effective July 1, this law bans drivers from holding a mobile device in their hands or supported by their bodies. There is no 90-day grace period for this law, so you can receive a citation if a law enforcement officer catches you with a cell phone in your hand.

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The Hands-Free Law will only allow drivers to talk on their phones without having it in their hands or supported by their body. Even with hands-free, you will not be able to write, read or send text messages, e-mails, social media or any other material on the internet. However, voice-to-text communication is legal.

The law also prohibits drivers from watching and recording video, but they can watch GPS/navigational videos and continuous running dash cams are permitted. Drivers can listen to streaming music through their phones, but cannot touch their phone to program them when they are on the road. You should note that music apps that include video do violate the Hands-Free Law.

McDonough goes on to state that troopers report that impaired driving is "one of the leading contributing factors" in a majority of fatal traffic accidents they investigate. With this in mind, troopers will be participating in the Operation Zero Tolerance campaign, which targets impaired drivers. Sheriff's deputies and police officers will work with troopers to get these drivers off the road.

If you're interested in hard numbers, the holiday traffic count will be updated on the Georgia Department of Public Safety Twitter page.

Image via Georgia State Patrol