Road rage and aggressive traffic is a well know problem in Georgia that’s linked to deaths and serious injuries every year.
Recently, the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, as well as local law enforcement agencies, joined forces to set up an initiative dubbed H.E.A.T — Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic.
The program is intended to fight back against impaired and aggressive drivers.
The H.E.A.T. initiative was first announced in 2010. Officials pledged to boost the use of safety belts at the same time as educating the public about traffic safety and the dangers of drunk driving.
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety coordinates 16 Regional Traffic Enforcement Networks across Georgia to crack down on problems like excessive speed, impaired driving, and seat belt campaigns.
Agencies devoted to combating drunk driving and aggressive traffic in Georgia can qualify for H.E.A.T.
aggressive traffic is targeted in Georgia
Bob Dallas, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, said drunk driving is a major concern and cause of death in Georgia. It claimed the lives of 331 people in 2009 and accounted for about a quarter of fatal car crashes.
Seat belt use has gradually crept up in Georgia in recent years but a considerable number of drivers and passengers continue to put themselves in additional danger by failing to buckle up. We have noted how not wearing a seat belt may impact a personal injury claim.
The H.E.A.T. program began when a multi-jurisdictional task force set out to combat aggressive traffic across Georgia. Three officers from six Georgia counties and the cities of College Park and Atlanta joined forces to create a team of 24 officers. The H.E.A.T. team continued to grow over successive years.
The program has targets including reducing the number of impaired driving crashes in and around Georgia by 10 percent and enforcing aggressive driving across the state.
The program uses a combination of education and enforcement with the aim of reducing highway crashes, injuries, and fatalities across the state.
Road rage is a major problem in Georgia. Last year, a driver lost his life in DeKalb County in a shooting.
According to an article in The Trace, road rage shooting incidents are becoming more common in the United States.
A comprehensive study found road rage incidents involving firearms doubled since 2014. However, road rage is more likely to manifest itself in dangerous driving practices than incidents like shootings.
A 2014 study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found half of all drivers have shown aggressive traits like deliberately tailgating another vehicle, shouting at another driver, or honking a horn in a display of anger or annoyance at least once in the previous year. If you have been hurt on the highways of Georgia, please call the Law Office of Michael West today at (404) 913-1529.