The two weeks prior to Labor Day are the beginning of one of the most important reminders for everyone who gets behind the wheel of a vehicle.

It’s the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign and it is an effort well worth undertaking.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 10,000 people are killed annually as a result of a drunk driver. In 2016, it averaged to be one person every 50 minutes. 

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety makes the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over effort a priority during periods of expected higher traffic volume, such as the upcoming Labor Day weekend. The GOHS says that in 2016 there were 368 traffic fatalities that involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. That number is an increase from from 258 in 2015 and 279 in 2014. Of the state’s 1,554 traffic fatalities in 2016, 368 were alcohol-related, according to the GOHS.

Georgia is a zero tolerance state and it’s something we also should be as well when it comes to someone with the car keys in their hand when they have had too much to drink. Even buzzed driving, law enforcement reminds us, is drunk driving. So if you or someone you know is in a state that impairs their ability to drive, find yourself or them another way to get home safely. 

You could be saving more than just yourself or them. You could be saving someone else.