Crime & Safety

Police to Crack Down on Drunk Drivers Starting Friday

Operation Zero Tolerance goes into effect on Friday and will last about two weeks.

The is going to be very aggressive over the summer holidays, looking for people who have been drinking and driving, Sheriff Phil Miller said.

Starting Friday, Georgia's Operation Zero Tolerance will begin. It is a high visibility enforcement program that targets impaired drivers through concentrated patrols and sobriety checkpoints, according to the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.

Douglas County fatalities are down from an average of 26 per year, in 2005 through 2007, to 13 per year, since the Sheriff's HEAT Unit began in 2007.

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"So were making a difference," Miller said. "But one death is still too many. We're going to continue to work our hardest to make sure people stay safe on our roads."

Holiday crash statitstics show that the summer holidays are some of the most dangerous times of the year to be on the road.

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The good news is there are some simple recommendations for making sure you have a safe and sober holiday season:

  • Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;
  • Before drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your keys at home;
  • If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation;
  • If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact your local law enforcement;
  • If you see know someone who is about to drive or ride impaired, take that person’s keys and help him or her make other arrangements to get home safely.

“All too often, innocent, law-abiding people suffer tragic consequences and the loss of loved ones due to this careless disregard for human life. Because we’re committed to ending the carnage, we’re intensifying enforcement during the crackdown. Since twice as many alcohol-impaired accidents occur over the weekend and four times as many occur at night, we will be especially vigilant during these high-risk times when impaired drivers are most likely to be on our roads,” said GOHS Director Harris Blackwood on the GOHS website.

State officials say 298 people died in alcohol-related crashes in 2010 - roughly a fourth of traffic deaths in the state.

The summer anti-DUI campaign in Georgia coincides with the national crackdown called Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

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