CORNELIA – A multi-agency effort in Cornelia Tuesday afternoon yielded three driving under the influence arrests and two dozen other safety-related citations.
The effort, led by the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) Unit, the seatbelt blitz and road check yielded 19 seatbelt violations, two violations of Georgia’s hands-free law, driving on a learner’s permit without someone with a valid license in the vehicle, two child seat tickets, and two other warnings.
Personnel from the sheriff’s office and its HEAT Unit were joined by the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, Georgia State Patrol and Cornelia Police Department.
The first DUI violation was encountered about 3:15 p.m. on Business Highway 441 just north of Walmart in Cornelia, with two others being discovered on Chase Road just behind Walmart about an hour after the first.
The goal of the HEAT program is to combat crashes, injuries, and fatalities caused by impaired driving and speeding, while also increasing seatbelt use and educating the public about traffic safety and the dangers of DUI.
HEAT grants are funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Through New Year's, the sheriff's office and other agencies will be conducting saturation patrols and safety checkpoints looking for impaired, dangerous, and distracted drivers and focusing on seatbelt use.
Last year, 14 people died on Georgia roads between 6 p.m. Christmas Eve and 11:59 p.m. Dec. 26.
In 2018, 375 of the 1,504 traffic fatalities (25%) in Georgia were alcohol-related, according to GOHS.
