More than 30% of the people who died in traffic crashes in Georgia during the Labor Day holiday weekend from 2016 to 2020 were the result of a driver whose blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) level was over the 0.08 legal limit in Georgia and 63% of fatal drunk driving crashes in Georgia during the Labor Day holiday weekend involved a driver whose BAC was twice the legal limit. That’s according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
'Hands Across the Border' will begin with stops on Monday, Aug. 29, in Bremen and Columbus followed by Dillard and Valdosta on Tuesday, Augusta and St. Mary's on Wednesday, and Savannah on Thursday.
Last year’s Hands Across the Border event in Rabun County was marred by the death of an officer who was involved in a head-on collision with a suspected drunk driver.
Rabun County Sheriff Chad Nichols said officials will pause to honor that fallen Rabun County jailer’s family during this week’s enforcement effort.
“We’re going to mark the one-year anniversary of when one of my detention officers, Corporal Courtney Zajdowicz, was killed on her way to work by a drunk driver, kind of while this was going on last year,” Nichols said. “And so of course it marks that one-year anniversary. We’re going to do a couple of different special things for the family to honor her. So overall, it's you know, to make roads safer in all our communities and unfortunately this happened during that event last year, and so this year, we're just going to, you know, honor the family, but you know, just to continue to try to keep our communities safe through these traffic safety initiatives.”
The number of overall alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in Georgia increased by 13% in 2020 compared to 2019, as approximately one out of every four traffic deaths in the state each year involve a drunk driver.
But other behaviors create dangerous driving conditions as well.
“We’ll be targeting speeding that day and then through safety checkpoints that night – you know, impaired driving, seatbelt use, distracted driving, and any other safety violations deputies, officers, or troopers may run across when they make contact with the drivers,” Nichols said. “So, I encourage you every day to take responsibility when you're behind the wheel and of course, don't drink and drive and stay off your cell phones and watch your speed and wear that safety belt.”
Hands Across the Border started in St. Marys in 1991 and has grown to a week-long education and enforcement campaign.
“What's unique I guess to Rabun County's hosting this, along with Dillard Police is, you know, we border two different states, North Carolina or our north, South Carolina to our east,” Nichols said. “So, we partner with those agencies specifically to do these Hands Across the Border events. So not only you might see 30 different law enforcement agencies from Georgia coming north toward Rabun County. All of those will be participating with us through the Governor's Office of Highway Safety’s NorthEast Traffic Enforcement Network that we’re a part of. So, participants in that network come help with this traffic safety event. And then you'll have Macon County Sheriff's Office, Franklin Police, North Carolina Highway Patrol, and the respective agencies out of South Carolina as well. And even last year, even though we don't border Tennessee here in our county, we did actually have representatives from Tennessee here as well. So, I just think it shows that all the states are coming together to make everyone's communities safer.”
The Governor's Office of Highway Safety and NHTSA offer the following highway safety tips for those traveling during the Labor Day holiday weekend:
- ·Allow extra time for your trip with more vehicles on the road
- ·Always wear a seatbelt and make sure all passengers are properly restrained
- ·Designate a passenger to use the phone for navigation and program your destination into your device before getting on the road
- ·Plan ahead for a sober ride when alcohol is going to be part of the plans
- ·Let family and friends know they can contact you for a sober ride
AAA-The Auto Club will be offering free tows and a ride only for the driver of a vehicle for up to 10 miles from 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2 through 6 a.m. Tuesday Sept. 5.
