Al., Fl. & Ga Troopers join together for “Hands Across the Border.”

Credit: Mark Skinner/Floridan

Dozens of law enforcement officers from three states joined together Tuesday as part of a holiday traffic safety program specifically targeting impaired drivers.

About 50 officers from Georgia, Florida and Alabama gathered at the Florida Welcome Center to talk about the program, in its 20^th, year dubbed “Hands Across the Border.”

Alabama Highway Patrol Capt. Ricky Peak said the enforcement campaign primarily targets impaired drivers, but law enforcement will also be on the lookout for aggressive drivers, which includes motorists following too closely, driving too fast and weaving in and out of traffic. But he said law enforcement will also be looking for seat belt and child safety seat restraint violators.

“Our message is simple -- if you drive impaired you will be arrested,” Peak said. “We want everybody to enjoy the weekend, but do not get on the highways and put other people’s lives at risk.”

Peak said troopers will use saturation patrols during the enforcement campaign, which includes putting several officers and their vehicles close together on one stretch of highway.

Peak said state troopers will also use what’s referred to as the BAT mobile during traffic checkpoints across the region. The Breath Alcohol Testing (BAT) vehicle, which is a large cargo style truck, can also help troopers keep from having to take a suspect to the jail after each arrest. The truck can hold up to 10 inmates.

“We try to focus on heavy travel times,” Peak said. “It’s Labor Day, and people are trying to get in one last trip to the beach.”

Peak said funds through Alabama Department Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) will help the state assign more troopers to work the highways, along with agents with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI).

William Whatley Jr., a spokesperson with ADECA, said the program is also part of a national enforcement campaign called “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” which started on Aug. 19 and runs through the Labor Day holiday.

Whatley said ADECA actually distributes federal funds from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to help provide Alabama agencies with overtime money to work during the heavily traveled holiday period.

According to NHTSA, alcohol impaired crashes over the legal limit of .08 blood alcohol content accounted for 32 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities in 2009, an average of one fatality every 48 minutes.

“Impaired driving is not an accident,” Whatley said. “It’s an epidemic of careless disregard for human life.”

According to a statement from the Florida Department of Public Safety, alcohol was involved in more than 17,748 crashes, 794 fatalities and 12,168 injuries during the year of 2010.

“Make no mistake. Our message is simple. No matter what you drive, if we catch you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions. No excuses,” said Major Eddie Johnson, of the Florida Highway Patrol. 

Lt. Buddy Johnson, of the Georgia State Highway Patrol, said a lot of people will be traveling to Florida for the holiday weekend, and many people will go through Georgia and Alabama.

“If we catch you drinking and driving you are going to jail,” Johnson said. “It’s just that simple.”

Spencer Moore, the deputy director of Georgia Highway Safety, said the tri-state program is all about raising awareness on the issue of impaired drivers.

“We know one death is one too many, and campaigns like this help,” Moore said.