With Fourth of July weekend coming up, Georgia law enforcement is planning ahead to ensure the safety of people on the roads and in the water.
A time to celebrate the birth of American independence, July 4 is also one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to more cars on the road, more boats in the water and their operators under the influence.
From 2016 to 2020, 1,390 drivers were killed in motor vehicle accidents over the Fourth of July holiday period, and 41% of the drivers killed were drunk, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Richmond County Chief Deputy Patrick Clayton urges people not to drink and drive, especially this weekend.
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“If you’re going to drink, have a designated driver,” Clayton said. “Drinking and driving is the number one cause of traffic accidents, injuries and fatalities over Fourth of July weekend.”
On Wednesday, the Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies started road checks to target traffic safety as part of Operation GRACE (Gang Resistance and Community Engagement), a joint operation with the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshal’s Service, Georgia State Patrol, GBI and others, according to Clayton.
During the upcoming three-day weekend, there will also be an increase in law enforcement officers on the water across Georgia on a heightened alert for those violating boating under the influence laws.
“Operating a vessel under the influence of drugs or alcohol is illegal on all bodies of water and can lead to serious injuries, death, property damage and legal consequences,” according to a news release from Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement, which along with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard, will be participating in the national Operation Dry Water from July 2-4.
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“The tragedies that happen on our waterways because individuals choose to boat while impaired are preventable,” said Director of the Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division Col. Thomas Barnard in a prepared statement. “As law enforcement, it is our job to do everything we can to ensure the safety of our recreational boaters and paddlers. That is why we are joining all 56 states and U.S. territories again this year to do our part in keeping boaters safe and preventing incidents, deaths and injuries caused by boating under the influence.
“Operation Dry Water is a year-round boating under the influence awareness and enforcement campaign with the mission of reducing the number of alcohol and drug related incidents and fatalities through increased recreational boater awareness and by fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol and drug use on the water,” the news release said.
