For Jonathan and Mandi Sorohan of Rutledge, Christmas has become a time they would rather forget.
Just five years ago, on Dec. 16, the Sorohans received a call no parent should ever receive. Their son, Caleb, 18, was killed in a head-on collision in Morgan County. The investigation revealed he was texting when he crossed the centerline and struck a pickup truck.
Caleb Sorohan is now the namesake of Georgia’s law prohibiting texting while driving.
Distraction, impairment and failure to use seat belts are all factors, sometimes in combination, that lead to fatalities on our roads. Last year, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, 160 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes in Georgia. That averages out to four a day. If this were a virus or a disease, our state would be in a panic.
Despite strong enforcement efforts and media campaigns, our state continues to have people who ignore the warnings and pay the price with their lives.
Alcohol continues to be a contributing factor in 25 percent of highway deaths in our state. A growing trend is the number of drivers who get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs.
The use of smart phones, while difficult to accurately measure, is the cause of numerous other crashes. Often, it is a combination of factors, including speed and not wearing seat belts, that result in traffic casualties.
The good news is that Georgia is trending toward a ninth consecutive year of reduced fatalities on our roads. In 2005, our state recorded 1,745 crash deaths. Last year, that number dropped to 1,189. As of last week, the state recorded a 5 percent drop in fatalities when compared to the same date in 2013.
This is not a scorecard or a tally sheet. These numbers represent more than 500 people who are alive when compared to a decade ago. They will get to celebrate another holiday season.
Sometimes, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, we repeat the same warnings: Buckle your seat belt. Put down the phone. Designate a sober driver. Slow down.
We know that nearly half the fatalities that occur after 6 p.m. involve a driver who is not wearing a seat belt. While we have recorded seat-belt usage in excess of 90 percent for the past few years, there are still those who refuse to wear the one device that has been proven to save lives in a crash.
This year, while the fatality count has been trending lower, we now enter the end-of-the-year holiday season — with lower gas prices, as well. More drivers than ever are predicted to be on the roads during the Christmas and New Years holidays.
Joining with our partners at state and local police agencies, there will be stepped-up enforcement of speed, seat belts and impairment. Officers will be out in force looking for violators. Consider yourself warned.
Unfortunately, there will be families like the Sorohans who will get that phone call, or a knock on the door, informing them of a tragedy.
We need those on the road this holiday season — and every day after — to join us by completing those basic safety functions each time they get in a car.
