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+) |
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| Number | Percent | Per 100 Million VMT |
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| 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).
