Beginning on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through the New Year, this time period marks the busiest travel days in the United States. Georgia is no different to this effect as thousands of commuters pile into cars to go visit family and friends. These visits often entail celebration, which can include the drinking of alcohol. This time period also generally marks an increase in traffic accidents and sadly, DUIs.
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reports on the numbers of traffic accidents and DUI arrests over the Thanksgiving weekend.
The Georgia State Patrol reported on Wednesday that more than 300 people were arrested over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The GSP also reported that over the long weekend, there were 15 fatal car accidents on Georgia roadways.
In the hours spanning from Wednesday evening to Sunday night, the Georgia State Patrol investigated more than 610 crashes. These crashes resulted in 242 injuries and 10 fatalities. The other 5 fatalities were reported by the local agencies of Dekalb County, Cobb County, and Gwinnett County.
During that five-night period, the GSP arrested 339 people on charges of suspicion of DUI. This number is only those arrested by the Georgia State Patrol and does not include those arrested by local agencies.
The GSP also gave out 11,523 citations and 17,046 warnings over this period.
These numbers indicate a slight increase over last year. Over the same period last year, 12 people died and 299 people were arrested on suspicion of DUI.
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