Dear Editor:

Because many school systems across the Southeast will be closed for spring break next week, drivers everywhere will see an increase in motor vehicle traffic throughout the state.

Many Georgians take their first family vacations of the year in early April. With all those extended trips, it’s also time for drivers to think about travel safety. Because at the end of the day, your vacation destination may be your goal, but travel safety while getting there should still be your top priority. It’s easy to abide by some common sense Spring Break safe driving tips. First, always buckle up and make sure your kids are also properly buckled in their child safety seats. Always follow the speed limit and be courteous. And don’t be an aggressive driver, especially when highway vehicle counts are running high and driver patience is running low.

Here’s what may be the most important tip. If you’re doing the driving, postpone your partying for your final destination. Alcohol and Spring Break may go hand in hand once you reach your beachside destination, but alcohol makes a deadly travelling companion behind the wheel. DUI patrols will be on the lookout for impaired drivers across the state during the next two weeks. That means impaired drivers of all ages go to jail, no exceptions.

Police in Georgia will also be watching for underage alcohol violations because thousands of teens are injured or killed in traffic crashes due to underage drinking every year. National crash data shows that young males in Georgia are most likely to be involved in DUI car crashes during this Spring Break because they’re most likely to drive while impaired. They’re also in the demographic least likely to wear safety belts.

If anyone even thinks there’s a remote chance there will be drinking, they should plan a designated driver in advance. We’re also asking parents to renew their commitments to never be a party to underage drinking. Please remember, giving teens alcohol is not only wrong, it’s against the law. Underage drinking has adult consequences.

The fact is…every year teens continue to consume alcohol at parties hosted in their own homes or in the homes of friends and then they’re hurt or killed on our highways.

The irony is…even with all these warnings and words of advice, car crashes continue to be the Number One cause of death among our teenagers.

Teen passengers can often mean the difference between life and death for teen drivers. Even one peer passenger doubles the risk for a fatal crash, while 3 or more increases that risk four-to-five times!

So cops are cracking down during Spring Break. In Georgia, “It’s Over The Limit, Under Arrest.” The reason behind Georgia’s no-exception DUI law is simple but sad. One-out-of-three Georgia fatal highway crashes is caused by impaired drivers.

For more information on impaired driving prevention this Spring Break see www.StopImpairedDriving.org or www.madd.org or visit us on the web at www.gahighwaysafety.org.

Bob Dallas, Director

Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety