Crime & Safety

GSP Gears Up for Holiday Weekend

Troopers will be watching for impaired drivers, speeders and other violators.

The Georgia State Patrol has one primary goal this 4th of July weekend -- to keep the accident count as low as possible.

Last year, more than 1,800 accidents occurred over the Independence Day holiday weekend. Those accidents resulted in 834 injuries and 11 fatalities.

Col. Bill Hitchens, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, said troopers will be watching for drivers under the influence, speeders and motorists not using seat belts.

Find out what's happening in Tuckerwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Our Troopers and MCCD Officers will be concentrating on the most common violations identified as contributing factors in fatal traffic crashes," Hitchens said in a released statement.

Operation Zero Tolerance is also continuing across Georgia this weekend. The focus of the program is to remove impaired drivers from the roadway. Safety checks and concentrated patrols are planned.

Find out what's happening in Tuckerwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Hitchens further said drivers should make sure child passengers are properly restrained. A new child safety restraint law went into effect on Friday.

The 78-hour holiday holiday travel period began Friday at 6 p.m. and ends at midnight on Monday, July 4. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.