CRASH COURSE

More Americans have died on US roads since 2006 than in World Wars I & II combined

Most of the fifty states have programs dedicated to preventing bad driving and the crashes and deaths they cause, and the two in our area are no exception.

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in Georgia takes an active and creative approach to the kinds of bad driving that we all see every day.

Right now, for example, GOHS’s annual H.E.A.T. campaign is poised to strike. Those letters stand for Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic, specifically during “100 Days of Summer Heat.”

What is aggressive driving? As mentioned above, it includes behaviors that are not at all unusual: weaving in and out of traffic, cutting off other drivers or keeping them from changing lanes, yelling or making obscene gestures, running red lights, tailgating, and speeding. Who hasn’t seen all of those stunts just in the past week or two alone?

Georgia’s traffic code (O.C.G.A. 40-6-397) defines aggressive driving in much broader terms than the previous paragraph does: it’s driving that is rude, unsafe, or frightening to other drivers. Specifically, the law states, “A person commits the offense of aggressive driving when he or she operates any motor vehicle with the intent to annoy, harass, molest, intimidate, injure, or obstruct another person.” Furthermore, “Any person convicted of aggressive driving shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature.”

Does the fact that we all frequently see other drivers weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating, running red lights, speeding and more mean the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety isn’t doing its job?

It does not, and here’s why: The GOHS does not have the legal authority to enforce Georgia’s traffic laws. That responsibility falls to our various city and county police and the Georgia Highway Patrol. The GOHS’ charter gives it the commission to educate the public — those people actually behind the wheel — and to support law enforcement in the fulfillment of their traffic responsibilities.

As an example of the latter, GOHS sponsors something called the Thunder Task Force, a roving team that may pop up at any time anywhere in the state where high traffic-high crash corridors need attention.

In Savannah, the Task Force recently made a surprise pop-up appearance in response to a request for assistance from the Savan- nah Police Department. Federal crash data showed a 40% increase in traffic deaths in Chatham County from 2017 to 2021, and in 2022, 42 people died in traffic crashes in Chatham County.

MIDDLE AGE from page 5 example of both embracing my limitations and not limiting myself as I did use my mind to figure out what was wrong with the hot tub. This is something that I have never worked on before, but I accepted the challenge, pushed my mental limits and it is looking like it will be achieved. As my body’s ability to do things has dropped off some, I have recently been stretching my mind’s limits through the study of music, electronics, and other things that interest me, and it feels like this is keeping me mentally young. It would be nice to be physically and mentally in my prime, but as they so frustratingly say, “it is, what it is.” I just need to work within my new reality. I hope you too are finding ways to stretch yourselves while still accepting the limitations that aging brings.

J.B. Collum is a local novelist, humorist and columnist who wants to be Mark Twain when he grows up. He may be reached at johnbcollum@gmail.co

Ai And Cancer

… from page 9

As traffic on a busy stretch of Savannah city streets crawled past officers or stopped for red lights, H.E.A.T and SPD officers looked for drivers who were not wearing seat belts, using cell phones or otherwise violating Georgia’s hands-free law, driving under the influence, or transporting children who are not properly secured by seat belts or proper car seats. In less congested settings they assist in the enforcment of speeding laws, which is by far the #1 aggressive driving behavior engaged in by drivers.