GEORGIA — Drivers can expect increased law enforcement and sobriety checkpoints across Georgia as the 35th annual “Hands Across the Border” campaign gets underway ahead of Labor Day.
State troopers, sheriff’s deputies and police officers in Georgia are working with agencies in Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee to remove drunk and drug-impaired drivers from the road.
The campaign began Sunday, August 23, in Columbus. Additional events are scheduled Monday in Ringgold, Tuesday in Augusta, Wednesday in Savannah and Thursday at the Interstate 95 Welcome Center in St. Marys.
Although impaired driving is the campaign’s primary focus, officers will also enforce laws involving speeding, distracted driving, seat belts, child restraints and other traffic violations. Georgia agencies are expected to continue conducting sobriety checkpoints through the week leading up to Labor Day.
“Hands Across the Border” began in 1991 as a challenge between the Georgia State Patrol and Florida Highway Patrol to reduce impaired-driving deaths during the Labor Day travel period. The effort eventually expanded to include law enforcement agencies throughout the Southeast.
Federal crash data shows nearly 40% of those killed in Georgia crashes during Labor Day holiday periods from 2020 through 2024 were involved in wrecks with a driver whose blood-alcohol concentration was at least .08. Sixty-five percent of the deaths involving an impaired driver included someone whose blood-alcohol level was at least twice the legal limit.
The initiative is being held alongside the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, which continues through September 7. Georgia law enforcement will enforce DUI and other traffic laws throughout the 78-hour Labor Day travel period beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, September 4, and ending at 11:59 p.m. Monday, September 7.
Officials urge anyone planning to drink to arrange a sober ride before leaving, buckle up, avoid distractions and allow additional time for holiday traffic.
Yolonda Harris
News Now Georgia
Leave a Reply