Dear Editor,

As Georgians begin making their vacation plans for the upcoming July Fourth festivities, please remember there are two activities that never mix well on our holiday social calendar:  Drinking and Driving.  Putting them together behind the wheel creates a deadly combination on our highways.  Now one-out-of-every-three of the 1,700-plus fatal crashes in Georgia every year involves an impaired driver!

So this week, law enforcement agencies across the country will kick off the summer DUI enforcement campaign called Operation Zero Tolerance. The campaign concept is the same as the slogan.  If you’re caught driving with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) at or over the illegal limit of 0.08, you will be arrested.  Operation Zero Tolerance means you never receive just a warning or citation.  In Georgia, if you’re Over the Limit, you’re Under Arrest.  First time violators go to jail.

Why 0.08?  That’s the BAC where the risk of a fatal crash increases dramatically.  It’s at 0.08 where critical driving skills like braking, steering, lane changing, depth perception, judgment and response time are acutely affected-- The very skills your life depends on—and the lives of everyone on the road around you.

The survival mathematics of drunk driving is even more sobering.  Statistics show you’re 11-times more likely to die in a crash with a BAC of 0.08 or higher, than if you’re in the same crash with no alcohol in your system at all.  Yet according to the F.B.I.’s Uniform Crime Report, more than 1.3 million people across the country were arrested for driving under the influence in 2005.

That’s why all 50 states now uniformly enforce the 0.08 BAC limit.  So no matter what route you follow for your Fourth of July travel plans, you will be arrested if stopped by roadchecks or concentrated patrols while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

But avoiding the costly repercussions of a DUI arrest is easy. Just remember the goal of Operation Zero Tolerance is to bring public awareness to the deadly consequences of drunk driving so motorists drive unimpaired.  Designating a sober driver and never letting a friend drive drunk are just two simple ways to avoid an impaired driving crash or arrest.

And here are more tips that can help keep our roads safe-- and keep you safer 365 days a year:  Like planning ahead by designating a sober driver before going out; calling a taxi or using mass transit; calling a sober friend or family member to get you safely home; not allowing alcohol to be opened or consumed in your vehicle; obeying all traffic laws and resisting influences to take risks; wearing your seatbelt and ensuring that all passengers do the same; driving the speed limit, and reporting impaired drivers to the nearest law enforcement agency by calling 9-1-1.

So as we celebrate our nation’s independence, let’s also celebrate our freedom from the dangers of drunk driving. Driving sober gives you the freedom of knowing you’re doing your part to keep our roads safe during the holidays.

And remember: Over the Limit, Under Arrest.

Bob Dallas

Bob Dallas, Director

Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety