Hands Across the Border Law Enforcement Safety Campaign kicks off Sunday, Aug. 23rd
With Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of summer, comes the 35th annual ‘Hands Across the Border’ law enforcement safety campaign.
State and local law enforcement officers in Georgia will partner during the week with their fellow law enforcement officers in Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee to take drunk and drugged drivers off the road at sobriety checkpoints.‘Hands Across the Border’ started in 1991 when state troopers in southeast Georgia and northeast Florida challenged each other to see which agency could reduce the number of drunk and drugged driving crash deaths in their respective state through increased enforcement.
Troopers from both states met at the Georgia Interstate 95 Welcome Center in St. Mary’s for a friendly handshake and photograph.
The mobilization quickly expanded to a week-long enforcement campaign that, over the last 35 years, has included Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
The mobilization begins this year on Sunday, August 23, in Columbus, and continues on Monday in Ringgold, on Tuesday in Augusta, on Wednesday in Savannah, concluding on Thursday, where it all started 35 years ago at the Georgia Interstate 95 Welcome Center in St. Mary’s.
State and local law enforcement in Georgia will continue conducting sobriety checkpoints the following week to send a message before the Labor Day Holiday travel weekend that Georgia maintains a zero-tolerance policy for drunk and drugged driving.
It is against the law in Georgia to operate a motor vehicle with a Blood-Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher.
Georgia’s zero-tolerance policy for drunk and drugged driving means any driver whose BAC is at or above the legal limit will be arrested.
No warnings are ever given, and no one is allowed to call a family member or friend to give them a ride if caught driving under the influence.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates a drunk driving arrest could cost up to $10,000 in fines, court fees, attorney fees, and higher insurance costs.
A DUI arrest or conviction could cost someone their job or prevent them from being hired.
“Hands Across the Border” falls during NHTSA’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” high-visibility enforcement campaign that begins today and runs through September 7.
State troopers and local law enforcement in Georgia will be enforcing DUI and all traffic laws during the 78-hour Labor Day Holiday weekend starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 4, and ending at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 7.