121206 - Georgia Troopers Participating In Operation Zero Tolerance

December 12, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Public Information Office
(404) 624-7597

NEWS RELEASE

(ATLANTA) – State Troopers from the Georgia State Patrol and officers with the Department of Public Safety’s Motor Carrier Compliance and Capitol Police divisions are participating again this year in Operation Zero Tolerance, Georgia’s high visibility impaired driving enforcement program.  DPS Commissioner Colonel Bill Hitchens said  the 2006 campaign began Friday, December 15 and continues until midnight, Monday, January 1, 2007.

Colonel Hitchens said troopers and DPS officers will be patrolling with a goal of reducing the number of impaired driving crashes on Georgia roads during the holiday period.   “Police officers, sheriffs’ deputies and state troopers and officers will be working together to remove impaired drivers from the roads during this busy time of the year,” he said.

            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 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.”

-30-