Olivia Kate Pugh was enjoying a Friday night with her friends, simply walking across the street when she was hit by a driver investigators believe was drunk.
The 17-year-old high school senior had been in a crosswalk. Jerome L. Cox, 68, was arrested at the scene and charged with serious injury by vehicle, DUI, obstruction and failure to yield to a pedestrian, police said. The charges were upgraded to include first-degree vehicular homicide when Olivia died from her injuries two days after the crash.
The heartbreaking incident is among startling statistics.
About 37 people die in drunken driving crashes every day in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA. In Georgia, roughly one-fourth of all traffic crashes are related to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety reported.
From 2008 through 2019, 3,241 people died in crashes involving drunken drivers on state roads, according to the CDC. The risk of being involved in a crash involving an impaired driver is even higher during the winter holiday season when many events and parties involve alcohol.
While law enforcement agencies around the state know the signs of impaired drivers, those getting behind the wheel can do their part to avoid tragedies during the festive season.
“All drunken driving deaths are completely preventable because they are all caused by someone who makes the decision to get behind the wheel when they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs or both,” Robert Hydrick, spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If your holiday plans include alcohol, you need to make sure you arrive with a plan to have a sober driver.”
The NHTSA has a yearly campaign to remind drivers not to drive impaired, and Georgia’s highway safety office adopts the same slogan: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. Agencies across metro Atlanta and Georgia will be joining state troopers in enforcing the laws regarding impaired driving. In Georgia, a blood-alcohol concentration of .08 is the legal limit, and officers will have no tolerance for those above the limit.
“No warnings. No call a friend to drive you home. No exceptions,” according to a spokesperson for the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.
The office is among those warning drivers to avoid being arrested or causing a crash by not getting behind the wheel impaired.
“We are warning everyone now is the time to plan a sober ride before the party or celebration because our deputies will not be giving warnings to drunk and drugged drivers we find on the road,” Sheriff Ezell Brown said. “Those impaired drivers will be getting a ride to our detention center in the back of one of our patrol cars.”
A 2017 study found that Georgia is the second-toughest state in the country for DUI offenders. The first DUI conviction can lead to a year in jail or a fine of up to $1,000 or both, according to the Atlanta law firm of Lawson and Berry. Community service, probation and an education course are also possible. Subsequent convictions could mean tougher punishments, according to the law team.
“This is the time when law enforcement understands there will be impaired drivers on the road and they’re looking for that,” Hydrick said.
Olivia’s death has left the community grieving. The Harrison High School senior excelled in the classroom, was an athlete and loved the beach.
“She was kind, loving, giggling, and determined, hard-working, and full of life,” according to her family. “In the most difficult time of our lives, we are still in shock and trying to figure out how to grapple with it. We have received unwavering support at every turn.”
The family created a scholarship fund to honor other hard-working students so that “Olivia’s beautiful spirit and legacy live on forever.”
NO EXCUSES: DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE
Ways to avoid causing a drunken driving crash:
1. Plan your safe ride home before you start the party and choose a non-drinking friend as a designated driver.
2. If someone you know has been drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel.
3. If you drink, do not drive for any reason. Call a taxi, a ride-hailing service or a sober friend.
4. If you’re hosting a party where alcohol will be served, make sure all guests leave with a sober driver.
5. If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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