The Thunder mission is to detect Georgia’s high-crash corridors and reduce mounting highway deaths and serious injuries by introducing a high-visibility law enforcement presence to help stabilize the extreme and illegal driving behaviors of careless motorists who cause those crashes. The taskforce’s goal is to show a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and injuries during initiatives and subsequent waves.
The Thunder strategy assigns concentrated patrols to state routes, rural roads and interstate highways on alternating schedules for each day of the crackdown. Thunder officers will conduct safetybelt and sobriety roadchecks and speed patrols while collecting enforcement data to document their life-saving progress.
Operation Thunder has a history of reducing highways deaths since the highway safety project’s inception in 2007. Each time it’s launched, the GOHS Thunder Taskforce deploys a combined safety belt, speed and DUI mobilization with local Traffic Enforcement Units. H.E.A.T. officers are certified as field sobriety or drug recognition experts, with required training in advanced traffic law, DUI Breathalyzer and radar equipment, emergency vehicle operation and pursuit intervention.