Media release from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety:
State and local law enforcement officers are warning everyone to make the right decision to never drive over the legal limit or risk going to jail. The warning comes prior to the start of the 34th annual “Hands Across the Border” drunk and drugged driving enforcement and education campaign that begins on Monday, August 25 and runs through Friday, August 29.
State troopers and local law enforcement officers in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee will conduct sobriety road checks on each side of their respective state lines during the week to send a message prior to the Labor Day holiday weekend that all five states have zero tolerance for drunk and drugged driving.
“Hands Across the Border” falls during the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” high visibility enforcement campaign that started on August 15 and runs through Labor Day on September 1. State troopers and local law enforcement in Georgia will enforce DUI and all traffic laws during the 78-hour Labor Day Holiday weekend that begins at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, August 29 and runs through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 1.
It is against the law in Georgia to operate a motor vehicle with a Blood-Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher. Georgia’s zero-tolerance policy for drunk and drugged driving means any driver whose BAC is at or above the legal limit will be arrested. State and local law enforcement officers do not give warnings and do not allow a suspected impaired driver to call a family member or friend to give them a ride.
“There should not be one life lost on our roads due to drunk and drugged driving because all of these crashes are caused by someone making the selfish decision to drive when they know they should not be behind the wheel,” Allen Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, said. “Our state troopers and local law enforcement officers are doing their part every day to take drunk and drugged drivers off the road but in order to reach the goal of zero deaths it is up to everyone to do their part by never driving over the legal BAC limit.”
According to NHTSA, 40 percent of the people killed in crashes during the Labor Day Holiday weekend in Georgia from 2019 to 2023 involved one driver whose BAC was .08 or higher and 57 percent of the people killed in drunk driving crashes during the Labor Day Holiday weekend in Georgia during this five-year period involved a driver whose BAC was twice the legal limit. Federal crash data showed 25 percent of the persons killed in traffic crashes in Georgia from 2019-2023 involved a drunk driver.
During the 2023 Labor Day holiday weekend, 36 percent of the people killed in crashes in the United States involved at least one alcohol-impaired driver with a BAC of .08 or higher and 62 percent of the impaired drivers killed in crashes in the United States during the 2023 Labor Day holiday weekend were twice the legal BAC limit. Forty-five percent of drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the 2023 Labor Day holiday weekend in the United States had a BAC of .08 or higher.
NHTSA estimates a drunk driving arrest could cost up to $10,000 in fines, court fees, attorney fees and higher insurance costs. A DUI arrest or conviction could cost someone their job or prevent them from being hired.
“Drinking and driving is never worth the risk because the cost of a cab ride or a rideshare is a lot cheaper than a DUI arrest,” Roger Hayes, Director of GOHS Law Enforcement Services said. “The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety thanks all of those who are saving lives every time they decide not to drive under the influence of alcohol, drugs or a combination of both substances.”
“Hands Across the Border” began prior to the 1991 Labor Day Holiday as a friendly wager between state troopers in southeast Georgia and northeast Florida to see which agency could reduce the number of drunk driving deaths in their respective states. State troopers from both states gathered at the Georgia Interstate 95 Welcome Center in Kingsland for a ceremonial handshake to kick off the campaign that is also designed to remind the motorists they are the first line of defense in drunk driving by choosing to not get behind the wheel after drinking.
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety’s (GOHS) Law Enforcement Services division will once again have two teams holding sobriety checkpoints around Georgia during the week. The North group will partner Monday with Alabama near Bremen, Tennessee on Tuesday in Ringgold and South Carolina on Wednesday in Augusta. The South group will hold sobriety checkpoints in Columbus on Monday with Alabama and Florida on Tuesday in the Valdosta area and Wednesday in Kingsland. Both groups will meet for the final night of enforcement with South Carolina in Savannah on Thursday.
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and NHTSA offer the following highway safety tips for those traveling during the Labor Day holiday weekend:
- ·Allow extra time for your trip with more vehicles on the road
- ·Always wear a seat belt and make sure all passengers are properly restrained
- ·Designate a passenger to use the phone for navigation and program your destination into your device before getting on the road
- ·Plan ahead for a sober ride when alcohol is going to be part of the plans
- ·Let family and friends know they can contact you for a sober ride
AAA-The Auto Club Group will offer free tows and a ride only for the driver of a vehicle for up to ten miles from 6:00 p.m. on Friday, August 29th through 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 2nd. AAA-The Auto Club Group reminds everyone their Tow-to-Go service does not make appointments and is designed as a safety net for those drivers who did not plan ahead for a sober ride.
