Ga. authorities urge New Year's party-ers to avoid drunk driving

ATLANTA (AP) State authorities are urging holiday revelers to avoid drunk driving as they close out 2014 and welcome the new year. <br /> <br /> Harris Blackwood is director of the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety. He says there's no excuse for party goers not to designate a sober driver in your group ahead of time or line up a taxi or other safe ride. <br /> <br /> The state also is pushing citizens with smart phones to download the ``Drive Sober, Georgia'' app that identifies sober ride options for those who don't plan ahead. <br /> <br /> If all else fails, Blackwood says, just arrange to stay the night wherever you are ringing in 2015. <br /> <br /> Last year, between Nov. 20 and Dec. 31, drunk drivers in Georgia caused 1,143 traffic collisions that yielded 684 injuries and 18 deaths.