Georgia Injury Law Blog
Thanksgiving season is upon us, and it’s time for the Turkey, the family get together, and the need for greater care while driving around Georgia.
The year’s biggest holiday is also its deadliest. Accident rates spike during the 102-hour period, killing and injuring several motorists and passengers. Anticipating massive holiday travel, Georgia officials have kicked off the “Click it or Ticket” campaign. The seatbelt enforcement campaign began on Monday, and will last through the holiday weekend. There will be severe patrols, and officers will stop vehicles to check for seatbelt usage.Enforcement will go on during the day and night.
Last year, 19 people died in Georgia during the Thanksgiving weekend, and 1,457 people were injured in a total of 3,815 accidents. According to the Governor‘s Office of Highway Safety, 136 lives could have been saved last year only if the victims had remembered to wear seatbelts.
There is a lot you can do to keep yourself and your loved ones safe as you travel over the holiday weekend
· Remember that every motorist on the road is in a rush to get home or to a friend’s place for Thanksgiving.
· Remember that many of these motorists will be returning from parties where they have had at least a few drinks. While the legal blood alcohol limit in Georgia is .08, it’s important to know that persons who can’t handle their drink well, may begin to feel light headed and reckless after just a couple of drinks. There will be plenty of such motorists on the road too, and they may be an accident risk even if their blood alcohol limit is below .08.
· Buckle up, and make sure that both front and backseat passengers in your car are wearing seatbelts as well. Backseat seatbelt usage tends to be lower than front seat occupant and driver rates, because of a false sense of security that comes from sitting at the back. Accidents can happen even when you’re driving safely, and seatbelts can mean the difference between life and death.
The Atlanta personal injury lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent injured victims of auto accidents in Atlanta and around the state of Georgia.