Busy Holiday Weekend for Stephens County Sheriff’s Office

A number of motorists passing through Toccoa-Stephens County over the Labor Day holiday weekend found themselves leaving with a gift from the county – a ticket.

Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley said it was a very busy weekend for his officers who worked hard to keep the community safe.

According to the Sheriff, in addition to handing out traffic violation citations, they also worked dozens of accidents.

“On Friday, the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign through the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety began. And since Friday, my traffic units and drug interdiction units responded to 22 traffic accidents, which resulted in two injuries,” Shirley said.

Shirley said the contributing factors in those wrecks were failure to yield, following too closely and speeding.

The 100 Days of Summer Heat Campaign began just before the Memorial Day weekend at the start of the summer season.

The effort is an initiative to make sure motorists don’t drink and drive.

Shirley says since May, they’ve seen a big drop in the number of DUI’s.

“Locally, we have see a dramatic decrease in DUI’s in Stephens County,” he explained. “Since July, we have only had two DUI’s through the Sheriff’s office since this campaign began. This is one of a number of safety campaigns through the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety we are involved in. Like any other agency, we want people, when they get on the road, to come back safe.”

In July, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said DUI’s and fatalities were down statewide by 45%.

Shirley noted people are becoming more aware of the importance of buckling up and not driving impaired.