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Law enforcement officers across the state of Georgia are cracking down on traffic violators after kicking off their annual 100 Days of Summer H.E.A.T. and Click It Or Ticket campaigns last Friday, May 26. H.E.A.T. is the acronym for Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic.
Ellijay Police Sgt. Eddie Gilmore, who also serves as the coordinator of the Appalachian Trail Traffic Enforcement Network (ATTEN), joined fellow law enforcement officers in Jasper last Friday to commence with the program after hearing from Bob Dallas, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS).
The ATTEN includes jurisdictions in Cherokee, Pickens, Gilmer, Fannin, Union, Towns, and Lumpkin counties. Departments that are part of the network include the Georgia State Patrol and other state public safety organizations, county sheriff’s departments, and municipal police departments.
Dallas told the over 100 officers in attendance that the campaign would focus on safety belts, speed, and DUIs. Officers would also concentrate on secondary roads because that is where most accidents and fatalities occur.
The Summer H.E.A.T. and Click It Or Ticket programs are designed to to be aggressive against traffic law violators, and very little, if any, sympathy will be shown to those who choose to speed, drive impaired by drugs or alcohol, or not wear their safety belts.
Gilmore told the Times-Courier, “Officers in our network are going to be aggressive and diligent in their enforcement of the traffic laws over the next few months. They will issue very few warning citations. We want a motorist’s second chance to be the second chance at life he or she will have after he or she proceeds on his or her way.”
Gilmore continued, “Safety belts save lives. Georgia law requires adults ages 18 or older to wear a safety belt when driving or riding in the front seat or front passenger seat of a passenger vehicle.
“Persons ages six through 17 are required to wear a safety belt in all seats. Those who are under six years old are required to be in an approved child restraint or booster seat appropriate for their age and weight.
“The fine for an adult not wearing a safety belt is $15. The fine for persons between six and 17 not wearing a seat belt is $25 and will be paid by the driver of the vehicle. The fine for failing to properly restrain a child under six is $50,” said Gilmore.
The sergeant said officers from all departments will be using radar to enforce the speed limits. “We will use whatever means necessary to slow people down and decrease the amount of serious automobile crashes.”
Gilmer County Sheriff Stacy Nicholson told those in attendance, “I and the rest of the officers of the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Department support this initiative of the GOHS and we will do whatever it takes to keep our roads and citizens safe. We have a tremendous amount of traffic that passes through Gilmer County and we want them to be able to do so in a safe manner.”
The 100 Days of Summer H.E.A.T. and Click It Or Ticket campaign began on the Memorial Day weekend and will run through the Labor Day weekend in September.