Media release from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety:
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), GOHS Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (H.E.A.T.) units and GOHS Traffic Enforcement Networks ask motorists before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend travel period to start every trip with the click of a buckled seat belt.
AAA is estimating more than two million Georgians will be traveling by vehicle during the Thanksgiving Holiday travel weekend that begins at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 30. That is why state and local law enforcement are asking motorists to do their part to prevent crashes and save lives by driving at safe speeds, keeping their focus on the road and making sure all motorists are wearing a seat belt and small children are riding in a properly installed child passenger safety seat.
A seat belt is the best protection for speeding, reckless, impaired and dangerous drivers because all safety features in vehicles are designed to be most effective when the occupants are properly restrained by a seat belt.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 58 percent of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend travel period in Georgia from 2019 to 2023 were not wearing seat belts. Federal crash data showed 70 percent of the fatal vehicle crashes in Georgia during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend travel period from 2019 to 2023 happened at night and that 61 percent of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in Georgia at night during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend were not wearing seat belts.
“The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is thankful for everyone who takes just a few seconds to buckle a seat belt because our goal is for everyone to reach their destination safely on every trip,” Allen Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said. “Taking a few seconds to buckle a seat belt could lead to a lifetime of memories with family and friends and that is why we remind everyone of the importance to wear their seat belt whether traveling across the state or around the corner.”
Those planning to celebrate the holiday with alcohol are warned not to take the celebration on the road. State troopers and local law enforcement officers will increase drunk and drugged driving enforcement during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and as always maintain a zero tolerance for drunk and drugged driving. That means any drunk or drugged driver they find over the legal Blood-Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit in Georgia of .08 or higher will be arrested. No warnings. No excuses. No call someone for a ride home.
NHTSA FARS crash data showed one-third of the fatal crashes in Georgia during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period from 2019 to 2023 involved a driver whose BAC was .08 or higher and two-thirds of the fatal drunk driving crashes in Georgia during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period from 2019 to 2023 involved a driver with a BAC that was twice the legal limit in the state.
“All drunk and drugged driving deaths are completely preventable because they are all caused by someone who made the selfish to decision to drive when they know they should not have been behind the wheel,” Poole said. “Choosing not to drive under the influence of alcohol, drugs or mixture of both substances makes you a lifesaver and makes sure that no family will lose a loved one in a crash that was completely preventable.”
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, GOHS H.E.A.T. units and GOHS Traffic Enforcement Networks offer these highway safety tips for those traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend:
- Allow more time for your trip
- Do not speed to try to make up time
- Program navigation devices before your trip and if possible, designate a passenger to assist with navigation, phone calls and text messages
- Take breaks on long trips and switch drivers if possible
- Wear a seat belt on every trip