Press Release

As of 6 p.m. Saturday, there had been six fatalities on Georgia roads during the Christmas Holiday travel period that began at 6 p.m. Friday.

Two of the fatalities were investigated by DeKalb County Police, one by Clayton County Police and one by Gwinnett County PD.

Deaths were also reported by the Georgia State Patrol Post 26 in Monroe,  and Post 20 in Dublin.

The Georgia State Patrol is on high visibility patrols on interstates and state roads during this year’s Christmas holiday travel period which is 126-hours long.

Colonel Mark W. McDonough, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety said, “State troopers will be keeping a close eye out for motorists breaking state traffic laws and exercising bad driving habits that could potentially cause a fatal crash.”

Last year, the 2017 Christmas holiday travel period was 102-hours long. GSP investigated 554 crashes that resulted in 283 injuries and 11 fatalities. Troopers issued a total of 7,461 citations and 12,432 warnings, with 198 people arrested for driving impaired.

Troopers are cautioning drivers to plan for a sober designated driver if alcohol consumption will be part of your holiday celebrations. If you do not have a designated driver, call a taxi, rideshare, a friend, or family member to help you get home safely.

“This is a festive time of the year and we want everyone to enjoy the holiday season, but we also want everyone to be safe out on our roads,” added the commissioner.