Media release from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety:
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety joins state troopers and local law enforcement officers to warn drivers to make the smart choice to never drive under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a mixture of both substances.
State troopers, sheriff’s deputies and police officers are stepping up DUI enforcement during the holiday season and will arrest any driver they find who is over Georgia’s legal Blood-Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit of .08.
Georgia is a zero-tolerance state for impaired driving and drivers over the limit will not be given a warning and will not be allowed to call someone to give them a ride.
“Drunk driving ruins the lives of too many families who have lost loved ones in crashes that are totally preventable,” Allen Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said. “Choosing not to drink and drive is a heroic decision that saves lives, and we ask everyone to be a lifesaver by never getting behind the wheel when they are over the limit and not letting family or friends drive when they have been drinking.”
Georgia is once again participating with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ campaign that will run through January 1, 2025. The goal of the nationwide enforcement campaign is to save lives and prevent drunk driving crashes through education on the dangers of drunk and drugged driving and enforcement of impaired driving laws.
According to NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), almost 40 percent of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes during the Christmas Holiday season from 2018-2022 in Georgia involved a drunk driver and 85 percent of the fatal drunk driving crashes during the Christmas Holiday season in Georgia during this five-year period involved a driver whose BAC was twice the legal limit.
According to NHTSA, the average DUI arrest can cost up to $10,000 in legal fees, fines, court costs, higher insurance premiums and lost wages. A DUI conviction or arrest could cost someone their job or prevent them from being hired for a job.
“State troopers and local law enforcement officers save lives with every drunk and drugged driver they take off the road, but more lives will be saved if everyone made the right decision to never get behind the wheel when they have been drinking,” Poole said. “Mistakes happen every day in our lives and drunk driving is one mistake no one should ever make.”
Those in Georgia who do not plan in advance for a sober ride can call AAA’s ‘Tow-To-Go” service during the Christmas holiday season. AAA will offer a free tow and ride for only the driver up to ten miles from 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, through 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 2, 2025. AAA also reminds everyone they do not take reservations for their “Tow-To-Go” service as it is designed as a safety net and encourages everyone to have a designated driver or sober ride arranged before the celebration begins.
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, state and local law enforcement officers and NHTSA also offer the following holiday safety advice:
- Plan ahead: If you wait until you’ve been drinking to make a smart decision, you might not. Before you have one drink, designate a sober driver who won’t be drinking.
- You have options: designate a sober driver, call a taxi, or use a rideshare service. Getting home safely is always worth it.
- If it’s your turn to be the designated driver, take your job seriously and don’t drink.
- Do you have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and let a sober driver get your friend home safely.
- Always wear a seat belt. Seat belts offer the best protection in the vehicle in the event of a crash
For more information on the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety’s (GOHS) seatbelt and impaired driving awareness programs, visit https://www.gahighwaysafety.org. Follow GOHS on social media at www.facebook.com/gahighwayafety, @gohsgeorgia on Twitter and Instagram, GOHSGEORGIA on YouTube.
