Georgia Troopers to Join Operation Zero Tolerance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWS RELEASE

(ATLANTA) – Law enforcement officers from the Georgia Department of Public Safety will be joining law enforcement officers across the state for stepped up enforcement of drunk driving laws during the upcoming wave of Operation Zero Tolerance.  The campaign runs from Friday, December 16 until midnight Monday, January 2, 2006 and is aimed at reducing the number of impaired driving crashes on Georgia roads through high visibility enforcement.

Colonel Bill Hitchens, Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, said Georgia State Troopers and enforcement officers from the Department’s Motor Carrier Compliance Division and Capitol Police will participate in the concentrated enforcement effort.  Police officers, sheriffs’ deputies and state troopers and officers will work together to remove impaired drivers from the roads during this busy time of the year. 

Each year in Georgia, more than 500 people are killed in crashes where alcohol, drugs, or a combination of the two are involved.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that alcohol-related fatalities dropped by three percent in 2003.  Despite the decline, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that every 30 minutes, roughly 50 times a day, someone dies as the result of an alcohol related crash somewhere across America.

Colonel Hitchens encourages careful planning for holiday activities.  “If you plan to drive, don’t consume alcohol,” he said.  “Choose a designated driver and if you see a suspected impaired driver, notify law enforcement.”

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