Police, sheriff’s deputies, State Troopers and State Motor Carrier Compliance officers will be out in full force across Georgia this Fourth of July weekend. According to the director of the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), Georgia highway safety data shows that the top three causes of fatal crashes are speed, DUI, and unbuckled motorists. For this reason, Georgia law enforcement has been cracking down on dangerous and drunk drivers in the summer for the last six years.
This summer marks the seventh consecutive 100 Days of Summer H.E.A.T. campaign. H.E.A.T. stands for “Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic.” The H.E.A.T. campaign seeks to “reduce high-fatality crash-counts during Georgia’s potentially deadly holiday driving periods that run from Memorial Day through Labor Day.” The GOHS director says that the H.E.A.T. campaign means police will be issuing citations for speeding and aggressive driving, for failing to buckle kids into proper safety seats or failing to buckle-up, and jail time for DUI.
Law enforcement officers hope that the H.E.A.T. program will make Georgia’s highways safer by showing zero tolerance for high-risk behavior behind the wheel. A new law that took effect in January 2010, the Super Speeder Law, will tack on an additional $200 to state fines for drivers convicted of speeding 75mph or more on two-lane roads or faster than 85mph anywhere. Police are warning drivers engaging in risky practices behind the wheel that they will feel the H.E.A.T. if they are driving under the influence, not wearing their seatbelt, or speeding.
Be safe and smart this Fourth of July weekend!
Source:
Georgia’s July 4th ‘SUMMER-H.E.A.T.’ Speed and DUI Crackdown (WDEF News 12)