May 27, 2021–2:58 p.m.

NEWS RELEASE

State troopers and local law enforcement are asking everyone to make the summer travel season a safe one this year by remembering to click their seat belt or risk being handed a ticket.

Preliminary data from the Georgia Department of Transportation shows the number of people killed in traffic crashes through the first four months of 2021 is 18 percent higher than for the same time period last year, and 60 percent of those killed in traffic crashes so far this year in Georgia were not wearing seat belts.

With the Memorial Day holiday travel weekend beginning Friday, the Georgia State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies are working to reverse the increase in the number of people who have been killed in traffic crashes in Georgia over the last year.

Remember, the Georgia Department of Transportation will suspend construction-related lane closures on interstates and major state routes starting at noon today to help with the holiday traffic flow.