Police anti-DUI campaign sees results
by Adrienne Leon/The Haralson Gateway-Beacon
Haralson County law enforcement personnel teamed up with the Georgia Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) in an intra-state crack down on drunk driving in Georgia. They took part in the 18th annual “Hands Across the Border” highway safety awareness campaign, which is held during the six days leading up to the Labor Day holiday travel weekend.
Last Friday West Georgia traffic enforcement, along with Alabama traffic enforcement officers and highway safety advocates, gathered at the Georgia Welcome Center on I-20 in Haralson County to hold a briefing about progress on the last day of the campaign. At that time, local officers shared a traditional handshake with Alabama officers in a pledge of their recommitment to reduce crashes, fatalities and serious injuries on the state roadways. As part of the collaborative initiative, officers on both sides of the state line conducted sobriety checks in various locations that led to numerous arrests throughout the day and night.
With help from public safety partners from bordering states including Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, Georgia saw a sharp decline in fatalities on Georgia roadways around the holiday this year. According to the GOHS, the state defeated predictions that 18 deaths would occur in Georgia this year. However, that number was reduced by half with a total of only nine deaths this year. GOHS Special Division Director of Special Operations Ricky Rich said results from this year show drivers are taking heed of the state’s “Operation Zero Tolerance” policy for drunk driving in order to make Georgia roadways safer.
Meanwhile, the coordination of all the agencies was deemed a major undertaking, according to Haralson County Sheriff Eddie Mixon. He noted the number of public safety officers from Haralson County who participated in the effort was great enough to have a “meaningful impact” during the highway initiative.
“The investment of manpower was significant enough to have meaningful impact on the highways. The goal is not only to save lives with the actual traffic stops, but to also spread the word that Georgia has Zero Tolerance when it comes to driving under the influence,” he said.
In addition, the last night of the campaign was held in Bremen, yielding positive results.
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