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Agencies urge safe driving for July 4

The Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety and the Georgia State Patrol have issued July 4th travel accident estimates to raise awareness of the importance of traffic safety over the holiday weekend.

Officials are urging all Georgia drivers to make an extra commitment to safe travel over the Fourth of July Holiday. Safety experts agree that the failure to wear seat belts, speed, alcohol and the inclement weather contributed to a high number of fatalities last Memorial Day weekend.

The upcoming holiday covers a period of 78 hours beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, July 1, and ending at midnight Monday, July 4. It is estimated that 2,176 accidents could occur with 963 injuries and 14 fatalities.

"I would like to urge all Georgians to drive at, or under, the speed limit and wear seat belts. These are two very easy things to do which may mean the difference between life and death," said Greg Dozier, DMVS Commissioner.

Colonel Bill Hitchens, Commander of the GSP, encourages everyone planning to travel this holiday period to use extra caution on the roadways. "Plan your trip carefully, and plan to use a designated driver if you will be consuming alcoholic beverages," he said. "State Troopers will be aggressively enforcing Georgia's DUI law."

The 2004 July 4th holiday traffic accident prediction covered a period of 54 hours, which began at 6:00pm Friday, July 2, 2004 and ended at midnight, Sunday, July 4, 2004. During that time there were 1,987 accidents with 538 injuries and 12 fatalities. The highest number of Georgia fatalities ever recorded for the Fourth of July Holiday period was 34 in 1972, the lowest number was 2 in 1962 and again in 1984.

The DMVS has been the agency responsible for gathering, storing and producing Holiday Predictions and Accident Data since July 1, 2001. Effective this Friday, the Department of Transportation will assume these responsibilities as provided in HB 501 passed during the last Legislative Session.