GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF HIGHWAY SAFETY IN GEORGIA
CONTACT PHONE (404) 656 6996
OPEN HOURS

Mon-Fri 8am - 5pm

ADDRESS

7 M.L.K. Jr Dr SE #643, Atlanta, GA 30334

Impaired Driving

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In Georgia, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety launches Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over during high-travel holidays like July 4th, Labor Day and Christmas/New Year’s (in addition to popular drinking occasions like the Super Bowl, St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo) to reinforce the message that we are a zero-tolerance state. If you’re over the limit, you’ll be under arrest.

 

Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities**: Georgia , U.S. and Best State

Year Total Fatalities
in all Crashes
Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities (BAC
= .08+)
Number Percent Per 100 Million
VMT
2018 Georgia 1,505 379 25 0.29
US 36,835 10,710 29 0.33
Best State*     19 0.16
2019 Georgia 1,492 355 24 0.27
US 36,355 10,196 28 0.31
Best State*     15 0.12
2020 Georgia 1,658 371 22 0.32
US 39,007 11,727 30 0.40
Best State*     19 0.18
2021 Georgia 1,809 469 26 0.39
US 43,230 13,617 31 0.43
Best State*     20 0.22
2022 Georgia 1,797 507 28 0.39
US 42,514 13,524 32 0.42
Best State*     22 0.21

 

 

In 2019 in Georgia, there were 353 traffic fatalities (out of 1,491) that involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. That’s down from 379 alcohol-involved fatalities out of 1,540 in 2018. Those 353 alcohol-involved fatalities accounted for 24 percent of Georgis’s 1,491 total traffic fatalities in 2019.

Alcohol is a substance that reduces the function of the brain, impairing thinking, reasoning and muscle coordination. All these abilities are essential to operating a vehicle safely. As alcohol levels rise in a person’s system, the negative effects on the central nervous system increase, too. Alcohol is absorbed directly through the walls of the stomach and small intestine. Then it passes into the bloodstream where it accumulates until it is metabolized by the liver. Alcohol level is measured by the weight of the alcohol in a certain volume of blood. At a BAC of .08, crash risk increases exponentially. Because of this risk, it’s illegal in all 50 States (with the exception of Utah where the limit is .05), the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher.

This is why Georgia participates in the national mobilizations of Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over every year in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 

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