AUGUSTA, Ga. () – It’s the last holiday weekend of the summer, and officers want to keep people safe.
State and local law enforcement agencies coming together with a goal of getting impaired drivers off the roads.
Hands Across the Border is a traffic enforcement campaign aimed at reducing the number of drunk or impaired drivers ahead of the Labor Day weekend.
In Georgia, it’s against the law to operate a motor vehicle with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher.
Corporal Trevor Gordon from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office emphasized the importance of highway safety by stating, “I’ve witnessed numerous accidents due to speeding, DUI, and people neglecting to wear seatbelts. Our primary goal, in collaboration with South Carolina, is to emphasize highway safety efforts to significantly enhance community safety.”
Agencies in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee are conducting sobriety road checks ahead of the Labor Day weekend.
Cpl. David Jones, Public Information Officer for the South Carolina Highway Patrol, hopes to communicate a zero-tolerance stance on drugged and drunk driving through their efforts.
Jones remarked, “We will be out in full force. If you drive under the influence, we are prepared to arrest you. Likewise, we will address distracted driving or failure to wear a seatbelt by stopping drivers and emphasizing the need to put phones away and buckle up.”
Jones says initiatives like these show the public that officers have their backs and protect our roadways.
Officials say Georgia is currently at 800 fatalities which is down 17% from last year.
Powel Harrelson, who serves as the Law Enforcement Coordinator for the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, stressed the importance of safety measures stating: buckle up, avoid distractions and impairment, reduce speed, and always keep one critical fact in mind.
Harrelson shared, “Having to knock on someone’s door to inform them of a loved one’s death in a crash is an experience I’ve regrettably had too many times. Before you get in the car, I want you to think about approaching someone’s door and telling them a loved one has died due to a drunk driver, speeding, or distractions.”
You can learn more about Hands Across the Border here.
