GOHS Offers Holiday Traffic Safety Tips

As the holiday travel season picks up over the coming days, law enforcement is preparing for a busy couple of weeks.

With that in mind, the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has started its “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign in conjunction with the national effort.

It started last Wednesday and continues through the start of 2016.

Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Harris Blackwood said it has already been a deadly year on Georgia highways.

Blackwood said about 1,300 people have been killed on Georgia highways this year, the most since 2007.

“These are not numbers that we put on a tote board,” said Blackwood. “These are numbers that represent a person’s life, somebody whose family’s life has been changed forever and we would like to make this last two weeks of the year as safe as possible for those of us who use the roads of our state.”

Blackwood said his main concern is that people celebrate the holiday season safely.

He said first of all, do not drink and drive.

“The biggest thing you can do is get somebody else to drive who is sober, put down those keys, get a hotel room, do whatever you have to do but do not get behind the wheel if you have been drinking,” said Blackwood. “This is a tough time for that because people have parties they go to and one too many might put you over the limit and going over the limit is going to put you in jail.”

Blackwood said deputies, troopers, and officers across Georgia will have zero tolerance for drinking and driving.

Drunk driving is not the only thing to be aware of, however.

Blackwood said people need to be awake when they get behind the wheel to make that holiday trip.

“Watch your speed,” said Blackwood. “Buckle that seat belt. About 45 percent of our fatalities this year are people who are not buckled. That is the easiest thing you can do. When we see someone has been ejected from a car, you can just about bet they were not wearing their seat belt.”

Besides watching out for impaired or drowsy driving, Blackwood says people need to remember not to text and drive either.

Other than that, Blackwood said to just remember some other basic safety tips.

“Drowsy driving is as dangerous as drunk driving,” said Blackwood. “We want folks to be alert. Make sure you have had enough rest. You are better off to wait a while and get there safely.”

Blackwood said it is also important to make sure your vehicle is ready to go when you head out during the holidays.

“Before you leave, walk around that car, look at those tires, look at the car, make sure everything is all right,” said Blackwood. “Make sure your lights are working.”

During the 2014 holiday period, there were 14 traffic deaths in Georgia during a 102-hour Christmas holiday period.

This year’s Christmas holiday period runs from 6 p.m. Thursday, December 24 to midnight on Sunday, December 27, for a total of 78 hours.