Think before you drink and drive is what police are warning motorists this Cinco de Mayo.
Hoping to decrease drinking-related fatalities this holiday, The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is enforcing its zero tolerance impaired driving law.
Georgia’s drunken-driving related fatalities comprised 38 percent of all traffic crash fatalities from 2010 to 2104, according to a release. That’s higher than the national daily average of 31 percent.
“We’re not telling people not to drink,” GOHS Director Harris Blackwood said in a statement. “But impaired driving is a 100 percent preventable crime. We want people to understand that drinking even a little is the same as drinking a lot when it comes to being impaired behind the wheel.”
Of the 343 people killed nationwide over Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2014, 34 percent died from drunken-driving related crashes, the release stated. In those deaths, one out of five of those drivers had twice the legal blood alcohol limit.
“The fact is when you drive drunk, you put more than lives at risk,” Blackwood said. “You will be looking at jail time, the loss of your license, higher insurance rates and potentially dozens of other consequences that add up to expenses up to $10,000. Would you rather pay for a taxi home or a DUI?”
Drivers are encouraged to download the "Drive Sober" smartphone app, which helps would be drunken drivers develop a plan for getting home safely after a night of fun. The app provides a list of sober driving programs in Georgia.
“So have fun celebrating, but know that Georgia is a zero tolerance state” Blackwood said. “You either drive sober or you’ll get pulled over.”
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