This weekend is Labor Day, and the Georgia State Patrol and the Motor Carrier Compliance Division (MCCD) will be patrolling high-visibility areas on interstates and secondary roads. They will be looking for unsafe driving habits that put passengers at risk, according to officials.
Over Labor Day Weekend of 2017, police looked into 552 accidents and found 15 fatality crashes with 9 deaths, 321 injuries, and a total of 26 deaths across the state. In addition, 379 people were arrested for driving while drunk.
“The next few days of Labor Day travel mean that summer is officially over, and we know that a lot of families and friends will be traveling on Georgia’s roads.” “This is going to be the busiest Labor Day travel period on record,” said Colonel William W. Hitchens, III, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. AAA predicts that total travel will be 9% higher than last year.
“We want all drivers to put safety first for themselves, their passengers, and other drivers.” This means wearing a seat belt, making sure all children are properly restrained, avoiding distractions as much as possible, keeping your eyes on the road, and making smart choices. We want everyone to get where they’re going safely, and we ask all drivers to do their part to keep our roads safe. Colonel Hitchens told them, “If you have a problem while traveling through Georgia, please don’t hesitate to call GSP.”
The 78-hour holiday travel window starts at 6 p.m. on Friday, August 30, and finishes at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 2. The GSP and MCCD will focus on drivers who don’t wear seatbelts, speed, are distracted, or are drunk, as well as other risky habits that could cause accidents.
Traffic stop numbers will be shared on the X, formerly the Twitter account of the Georgia Department of Public Safety all weekend.