Operation Zero Tolerance rev’s up for Labor Day Weekend DUI arrests in Georgia
Operation Zero Tolerance is Back
It's that time of year again. The end of summer, and the beginning of a deadly Holiday season.
If you drink and drive in Georgia, you're going to jail. That fact of life will be even more evident starting on Friday, August 20 with the beginning of Operation Zero Tolerance. In Georgia, Operation Zero Tolerance (OZT) is enforced 24-7 365 days out the year, but special enforcement periods are also used to target travel periods when impaired driving and summer holiday traffic volumes are historically the highest on Georgia’s roadways. During OZT campaigns, police using roadchecks and concentrated patrols enforce the Over the Limit, Under Arrest policy for a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08, the legal BAC limit in all 50 states.
It's a nationwide mobilization of law enforcement agencies to crack down on drivers who drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Operation Zero Tolerance will be in effect through the Labor Day holiday weekend, which is the second deadliest holiday of the year on Georgia highways.
Concentrated patrols and random road checks will be conducted throughout the city at strategic locations in an effort to crackdown on motorists driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
According to statistics, one out of every three traffic-related fatalities in Georgia are now alcohol-related. Statistics also show that drivers with blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 grams or higher are eleven times more likely to die in a crash than if involved in that same crash while they were sober.
The Governor's Office for Highway Safety reminds motorists that drunk driving is not the only killer on our roadways, speeding and failure to buckle up also kill. Motorists should be aware that a new law for seatbelt use in pickup trucks is now in full effect in Georgia, and any passenger of a pickup truck must wear their seatbelt when that truck is being operated in Georgia.
“It’s just not worth the risk. If you don’t want to turn a festive summer holiday into a tragedy, you must find a sober driver before you start celebrating,” said Director Bob Dallas of the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS).
Every 45 minutes… That’s 32 times a day… Someone in the United States dies in an alcohol-impaired driving crash. Nationally, 37,261 people were killed in traffic crashes in 2008. Out of that number, 11,773 people were killed in crashes involving at least one impaired driver or motorcycle rider with a BAC of .08 or higher.
It’s because of these statistics that GOHS is coordinating with more than 500 Georgia police departments, sheriff’s offices and state patrol posts to run concentrated patrols and set up.
The same Labor Day campaign last year resulted in 517 DUI or drug-impaired driving arrests. The number of arrests was up 15 percent over the same period in 2008.
At least 14 checkpoints are planned for 8/20 - 9/4, and at least 24 extra patrols specifically targeting impaired drivers are scheduled to happen within the same dates.
No matter if you will be in Clayton or Clarke County, it's always a good idea to plan on having a designated driver when enjoying the holiday.
Remember - Over the Limit- Under Arrest. Don't risk it.
So pass the word share this with friends and whatever you do Labor Day Weekend, don't drink and drive. Make it a safe and sober holiday.
Source: GA Highway Safety
Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Public Affairs Unit
34 Peachtree Street—Suite 800—One Park Tower—Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Our Georgia driving laws are not related to risk. They attempt to be a one size fits all accommodation which is reactive to failure. The laws need to be risk based and need to be proactive.
As for driving under the influence, drugs are just as bad as alcohol. And worse are prescription drug interactions which Doctors do not warn us of. Pain killers can come with a warning not to operated machinery, however people have got to be able to drive to work. The answer is not some on size fits all reaction such as a felony arrest for each drunk driving offense. The answer needs to be risk based behavioral modification.
Lets try some examples:
Risk level 1) You are stopped for DUI and you are under the limit of .08, In the revision to the law, it won't matter how much you register. If you register alcohol at all, then you are sited for driving under the influence. The risk based modification is to change the drivers certificate to a one year certificate for a period of 5 years, which must to be earned each year, with a driving test, a written test, and 30 hours of DUI correctional instruction. This would be the probation one would undergo in leu of a 6 mo jail sentence and a $5000 fine. In addition the driver must carry a minimum of 50,000 each person and 200,000 each occurrence of liability insurance, which can be reduced after the 5 year period to 50,000 each person and 100,000 each occurrence after the initial 5 years but can never be reduced below that amount.
Risk level 2) If you are stopped for DUI and there is an accident for which you are at fault or you are already on probation as in example 1) you immediately loose your driving privileges for a period determined by the judge (not to exceed 120 days). During that time you are moved all the way back to a learners permit, which you must earn through testing and you must have a licensed driver with you during your learning permit operational time. You under go 60 class hours of DUI training during that 120 days. Then you can enter the DUI drivers program which at this point lasts 7 years and requires an ignition defeating device be installed on your vehicle. You must obtain your license each year by taking the driving test and written test and passing 30hours of DUI training each year. If you are already in the drivers program from Risk level 1, then you are moved all the way back to the learners license and you reaming years from Risk level 1 are added to the 7 years of risk level 2. All this is probation in leu of a $15000 fine and 1 years in prison. In addition to all this you must cary a risk policy with a minimum of 300,000 each person and $500,000 each occurrence. This can only be reduced at the end of you term and then only to a limit of 150,000 each person and 300,000 each occurrence for a period of 7 years past the initial 7 years of the program
Risk level 3) You are involved in an accident where you are found to be DUI and you have caused an accident where there is bodily harm but no death. The program is the same as Risk Level 2, however the time extends to 12 years instead of 7, and the fine increases to $25000 and the prison sentence to 5 years. Because now your negligent acts have caused bodily harm. Further you minim liability insurance moves to 300,000 each person and 1 million dollars each occurrence for the first 7 years then to 300,000 each person and 500,000 each occurrence for the next 7 years then 150,000 each person and 300,000 each occurrence for the remainder of your driving history in Georgia.
Risk level 4) This is the most serious of levels and reserved for those who cause death by negligence because they are found to be DUI and the cause of the accident. In this case you loose your driving license for a period determined by the judge (but not to exceed 10 years). You must serve a prison sentence to be determined by the judge with the minimum being 3 years. You must pay a fine in addition to any law suites which will be brought against you of $100,000 USD. After you jail sentence, the judge can determine if you have improved enough to enter into Risk level 3, this will be determined on an annual basis for the next 15 years. You must undergo psychoanalysis each year and be recommended by the attending physician to maintain your adherence to Risk level 3 programming. Any violation will earn you permanent removal from the program, loss of your driving privileges,and a return to serve hard time for any remaining jail time against you. Further you will undergo Psychoanalysis in which it will be determined if you are competent to function in society or be remanded to the mental institution as a ward of the state.
21/08/2010