DUI task force out for Tennessee-Georgia football game

Miami vs. Georgia Tech Football Highlights (2016)

The Georgia State Patrol and local law enforcement officers in the Athens area are warning impaired drivers to be prepared to go to jail if they choose to drive this weekend.

Specifically focused on motorists traveling to and from the Tennessee-Georgia football game in Athens, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, authorities said they will increase efforts through their Nighthawks DUI Task Force. In a press release announcement, the Governors Office of Highway Safety said troopers have zero tolerance for drunk driving and will take any driver who is legally impaired to jail.

Keeping the roads safe for all who will be traveling to and from the game in Athens this weekend is the goal of troopers patrolling there this weekend, said Colonel Mark W. McDonough, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. If alcohol consumption will be part of your weekend plans, prepare in advance by designating someone to handle the responsibilities of driving. Designating someone who will not be consuming alcohol to drive will save you the costs associated with an impaired driving charge and the consequences of a traffic crash.

The Nighthawks Task Force was formed in 2004 to patrol the metro Atlanta area during peak times when impaired drivers were on the roads. The unit has been expanded to cover other cities in the state including Athens, Savannah, Statesboro, Albany and Columbus. Troopers assigned to the Nighthawks Task Force are the most highly trained DUI enforcement officers in Georgia. The Nighthawks Task Force is funded with a grant from the Governors Office of Highway Safety.

The Governors Office of Highway Safety said alcohol is a factor in one out of every four fatal crashes in Georgia. The Georgia State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies around the state are stepping up traffic enforcement efforts as the number of people killed in traffic crashes in Georgia continues to climb. More than 1,100 people have already died in traffic crashes in the state this year. Georgia is on pace to surpass the total number of traffic deaths last year when 1,432 people were killed in crashes.

The Georgia/Tennessee rivalry is one of the best in the SEC, and we hope Bulldog fans and our guests from Tennessee enjoy spending the weekend in the best college town in the nation, said Harris Blackwood, director of the Governors Office of Highway Safety. If your plan this weekend includes alcohol, then avoid spending a night wearing an orange jail jumpsuit by planning to have a sober driver take you home.

Football fans in Athens and across the state can find a safe ride home on the Drive Sober Georgia app. The free app not only offers a list of cab companies and ride services around the state, it will also dial the number of the cab company or ride service listed in the app.

Source: http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/dui-task-force-out-for-tennessee-georgia-football-game/article_e3f635f7-9b3a-53e8-bff3-50a25a5a894d.html