Sobriety Checkpoints, Extra Troopers On GA Roads This Weekend

ATLANTA — Georgia state troopers will join officers from eight other states to boost patrols along East Coast highways used by college students and families on vacation. Troopers from Georgia, Maryland, Florida, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia will take part in the effort to prevent crashes, injuries and fatalities along primary highways in each state.

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 7, through midnight Sunday, June 9, the operation will include saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints and other enforcement initiatives aimed at saving lives and combating criminal activity, a news release said.

The operation is targeting 791 miles of U.S. Route 15, which originates in Waterboro, South Carolina, and ends in Corning, New York. Georgia and Florida troopers are focusing on 317 miles of U.S. Route 17, also known as the Coastal Highway. Portions of U.S. 17 are also known as the Gateway to the Golden Isles, along the Georgia coast.

Speed, distracted driving and impaired drivers are at the core of the traffic safety initiative. During the three-day 2018 Operation Border to Border, a total of 1,047 speeders were cited, 19 DUI arrests were made, and 332 seat belt violations were cited across all nine states. In addition, 153 commercial vehicle violations were cited and 16 drug/narcotic arrests were made.