Community News
GSP Predicts 23 Weekend Fatalities
By
Jul 3, 2008, 00:15

The Georgia State Patrol and the Crash Reporting Unit of the Georgia Department of Transportation have released their predictions for traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities for the 2008 July 4th holiday travel period.

Crash analysis experts predict 2,315 traffic crashes, 1,094 injuries and 23 traffic deaths during the period that begins at 6 pm Thursday, July 3rd, and ends at midnight, Sunday, July 6th, a 78 hour period.

Last year during a 30-hour July Fourth holiday travel period in Georgia, there were 643 traffic crashes reported that resulted in 267 injuries and 9 traffic fatalities.

Georgia’s fatal crash stats emphasize the reason more than 500 local police agencies concentrate on DUI traffic enforcement during the Independence Day holiday travel period.  In 2007, 3 of the 9 July 4th traffic deaths involved alcohol-impaired drivers.

Five people killed were not wearing seat belts.  DOT crash tracking showed that eight-of-the-nine fatal traffic incidents occurred on state highways, county roads and city streets, with only one on Georgia Interstates.

State Troopers and DPS Motor Carrier Compliance Division officers will partner with local law enforcement to help save lives on our highways this Fourth.  Together, they’ve been enforcing the statewide “Operation Zero Tolerance” impaired driving crackdown since June 20th to get drunk drivers off the highways before Georgia families begin their summer vacation travels.

GOHS Director Bob Dallas said all motorists should expect to encounter random sobriety checkpoints and concentrated police patrols all across Georgia.  Officers will also be ticketing drivers who violate the posted speed limits or fail to buckle-up as part of the “100 Days of Summer H.E.A.T.” enforcement campaign.
Here’s why:
Last year 1/3 of Georgia’s highway deaths were speed-related crashes.
1 out of 5 crash fatalities in Georgia are alcohol-related.
More than 50% of Georgia’s fatal crash victims don’t wear safetybelts.

To stay sober, stay alive, and stay out of Georgia’s crash-stats this holiday, remember drunk drivers go to jail. “Over The Limit. Under Arrest.”  OZT is all about raising survival rates, not ticket revenues.  So when you plan to party this holiday, plan first for a designated driver.