15 killed in Georgia crashes over Thanksgiving weekend; hundreds arrested on DUI charges

The numbers from this year are a slight increase from 2017.

The numbers from this year are a slight increase from 2017.

More than 300 people in Georgia were arrested on drunk driving charges over the busy Thanksgiving weekend, and 15 people died in crashes statewide, the Georgia State Patrol said Wednesday.

During the 102 hours spanning from Wednesday evening to Sunday night, the GSP investigated 610 crashes resulting in 242 injuries and 10 fatalities, the department said in a statement. The other five deaths were reported by local agencies: three in DeKalb County, one in Gwinnett County and one in Cobb County.

The GSP said 339 people now face DUI charges from the five-night period. That number does not count those arrested by local agencies.

The GSP also doled out 11,523 citations and 17,046 warnings, the agency said.

Authorities say the period surrounding Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times of the year.

The 2018 figures are a slight increase from last year. According to a GSP statement from 2017, 12 people died in crashes over the same period, and 299 were arrested by the GSP for DUI. In metro Atlanta, Gwinnett County was the only local agency to report a traffic fatality.

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