(ATLANTA) The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has a life-saving warning for motorists with travel plans for the Christmas and New Year holiday driving periods. “Over The Limit. Under Arrest,” declared GOHS Director Bob Dallas as he launched Georgia’s statewide Operation Zero Tolerance (OZT) impaired driving campaign at a Savannah kick-off news conference.

The Operation Zero Tolerance enforcement campaign cautions Georgians not to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs and warns the public about stepped-up enforcement efforts during the campaign. “Law enforcement officers across the state will be out in force conducting sobriety checkpoints and concentrated patrols this week and next,” said GOHS Director Dallas. “Drive impaired and you will go to jail.”

The message behind the OZT enforcement campaign is a sobering one: In December 2005, eleven people died on Georgia highways during the 78-hour Christmas holiday driving period. There were 2,280 crashes and 949 injuries on record during the Christmas 2005 holiday driving period.

During the 2005/06 New Year’s holiday period, fifteen people died. During that 78- hour period there were 2,424 crashes and 1,118 injuries. Adding to the annual tragedy of Georgia’s fatality totals, many holiday crashes involved drivers impaired either by drugs or alcohol, or a combination of both.

This year, the Georgia State Patrol (GSP) and the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Crash Reporting Unit have again divided December into two holiday driving period predictions. Their official prediction places the number of Christmas holiday fatalities at 13 traffic deaths, with 2,212 traffic crashes, and 1,001 injuries.

The official crash analysis experts’ predictions for the New Year holiday travel period is for 16 traffic fatalities, 2,500 traffic crashes, and 1152 injuries.

“That’s why the goal of Operation Zero Tolerance is zero deaths.. every holiday,” said Director Dallas. “So we support the agencies conducting this high visibility statewide DUI crackdown. The Georgia State Patrol and local traffic enforcement officers will not hesitate to arrest impaired drivers and impound their vehicles during this December Operation Zero Tolerance campaign crackdown.”

The Christmas holiday travel period begins Friday, December 22 at 6PM and continues until midnight Monday, December 25, 2006. The New Year’s holiday period begins at 6PM Friday, December 29 and ends at midnight Monday, January 1, 2007. Contact your local law enforcement agency for details about sobriety road checks and DUI enforcement patrols in your community.