Dawn Castro
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
Dozens of law enforcement officers from Florida and Georgia assembled Wednesday to kick off the 19th annual Hands Across the Border driver safety campaign.
Andy Johnson, law enforcement liaison for the Georgia Department of Transportation, said that, as always but even more so this weekend, safety is a top priority.
“Every year, we see far too many fatalities on our highways,” he said. “The goal of this campaign is to save lives. Protect yourself and your loved ones this holiday weekend.”
The 78-hour Labor Day holiday travel period begins Friday, Sept. 3, at 6 p.m. and ends at midnight Labor Day.
During the 2009 Labor Day holiday period, there were 1,917 traffic crashes reported that resulted in 867 injuries and 15 traffic deaths in Georgia, according to holiday statistics compiled by the Crash Reporting Unit at the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Across the state line, 23 Floridians were killed during that weekend. Alcohol played a role in more than half of those deaths.
The Georgia State Patrol is reminding drivers not to get behind the wheel impaired during the upcoming Labor Day holiday travel period. Troopers and officers with the Motor Carrier Compliance Division will be working alongside sheriff’s deputies and police officers in an effort to keep the holiday weekend as safe as possible.
Since Aug. 20, troopers and officers have participated in Operation Zero Tolerance across Georgia as part of a nationwide mobilization against impaired drivers.
For all those who will travel during the Labor Day period, Col. Bill Hitchens, Georgia Department of Public Safety commissioner, reminds drivers to plan trips carefully and allow plenty of time to reach their destination. He also urged drivers to check the condition of their vehicle by inspecting the belts, hoses, and fluid levels and to pay special attention to the condition of the tires.
“The heat this summer has taken a toll on tires,” he noted. “Troopers have investigated several crashes, some that resulted in fatalities, where tires have blown causing the driver to lose control.”
The highest number of traffic deaths recorded over a Labor Day holiday period was in 1968 when 35 traffic deaths were reported, and the lowest occurred in 1939 and 1995 with seven fatalities. Over the last seven years, the Georgia Department of Transportation reports 13,897 total crashes during the Labor Day holiday period with a total of 6,700 injuries and 120 traffic deaths.
The holiday period is also an Operation Combined Accident Reduction Effort weekend. C.A.R.E. is a traffic safety initiative of state highway patrols and state police agencies across the United States and Canada. Sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Operation C.A.R.E. unites state law enforcement in a campaign to keep the number of holiday period traffic deaths as low as possible through high visibility enforcement and education.
Major Gene Spaulding from the Florida Highway Patrol said, “Make no mistake, if you’re caught driving impaired, you will be arrested.”
He and Georgia State Patrol Capt. Bill Bryant have a friendly competition to see who will have the lowest number of reported accidents this weekend.
