Officers patroling for impaired drivers

Georgia StateTroopers, along with officers from the Georgia Department of Public Safety's (DPS) Motor Carrier Compliance and Capitol Police divisions, are teaming with law enforcement officers from local police and sheriffs' departments across Georgia for Operation Zero Tolerance (OZT), Georgia's high visibility impaired driving enforcement program.

The July Fourth OZT campaign began Friday, June 20 and will continue through Sunday, July 6.

According to Colonel Bill Hitchens, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, "Law enforcement officers will be watching for impaired drivers during concentrated patrols and roadchecks throughout the two-week period.

"State Troopers and DPS officers will not hesitate to arrest an impaired driver and tow their vehicle," the commissioner continued. "No matter what you drive - a passenger car, a pickup truck, a motorcycle, or a commercial vehicle - if you are caught driving impaired, you will be arrested."

Law enforcement officers urge drivers to avoid jeopardizing their lives and the lives of others, who may be on the road, by following these easy steps for a safe and festive summer:

.. Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin; designate a sober driver and give that person the keys.

.. If you are impaired, stay where you are or call a sober friend.

.. If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don't hesitate to call Star G-S-P on your cell phone.

.. The best protection against an encounter with a drunk driver is still a buckled seat belt.

Star G-S-P (*477) is a free call to the nearest Georgia State Patrol Communications Center.

The July Fourth Zero Tolerance campaign is coordinated by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety as part of the "100 Days of Summer Heat" initiative.

Drunk driving statistics for 2006 include:

.. There were 13,470 fatalities in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver (BAC [Blood Alcohol Content] of .08 or higher) - 32 percent of total traffic fatalities for the year.

.. Nearly 16,005 people were killed in the United States in alcohol-related motor vehicle traffic crashes (BAC of .01 or higher).

.. A total of 1,794 children, age 14 and younger, were killed in motor vehicle crashes. Of those 1,794 fatalities, 306 (17 percent) occurred in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Moreover, children riding in vehicles with drivers who had a BAC level of .08 or higher accounted for half (153) of these deaths.

.. The 13,470 alcohol-impaireddriving fatalities in 2006 were almost the same as compared to 13,451 alcohol impaired-driving fatalities reported in 1996.

.. The 13,470 fatalities in alcoholimpaired driving crashes during 2006 represent an average of one alcoholimpaired driving fatality every 39 minutes.

.. The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes was four times higher at night than during the day.

.. The percentage of drivers with a BAC of .08 or above in fatal crashes was highest for motorcycle operators (27 percent), followed by light trucks (24 percent), and then passenger cars (23 percent). The percentage of drivers with BAC levels of .08 or higher in fatal crashes was the lowest for large trucks (1 percent).

.. In fatal crashes in 2006, the highest percentage of drivers with a BAC level of .08 or higher was for drivers ages 21-24 (33 percent), followed by those ages 25-34 (29 percent), and drivers ages 35-44 (25 percent).

.. Drivers with a BAC level of .08 or higher, involved in fatal crashes, were eight times more likely to have a prior conviction for driving while impaired (DUI) than were drivers with no alcohol (8 percent and 1 percent, respectively).

.. More than 8,200 (55 percent) of the drivers involved in fatal crashes, who had been drinking, had a BAC of .15 or greater.

.. As in previous years, in 2006, males comprised a majority, about 81 percent, of all drivers involved in fatal crashes with a BAC of .08+.