The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) has announced that the Burke County Sheriff’s Office is one of 21 law enforcement agencies in Georgia to receive a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant for the Federal 2023 Fiscal Year.
Referred to as H.E.A.T. grant, the award totals $ 49,944.35. According to a news release, the goal of the H.E.A.T. program is to combat crashes, injuries and fatalities caused by impaired driving and speeding, while also increasing seatbelt use and educating the public about traffic safety and the dangers of DUI. The BCSO H.E.A.T Unit will use the grant from GOHS to develop and implement strategies to reduce local traffic crashes due to aggressive and dangerous driving behaviors, according to the announcement.
“The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is working with our highway safety partners to reverse the increase in traffic deaths we have seen in the United States in the last two years and the goal of this project is to prevent crashes and save lives on our roads,” said Allen Poole, Director GOHS. “We ask everyone to join the mission of saving lives on our roads by driving the speed limit, wearing your seat belt, staying off the phone when driving and never driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”
H.E.A.T. grants fund specialized traffic enforcement units in counties throughout the state. The program was designed to assist Georgia jurisdictions with the highest rates of traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities with grants awarded based on impaired driving and speeding data, the statement said,
“We are pleased to continue our partnership with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and are prepared to help reduce crashes on our roadways here in Burke County through enforcement and education,” said BCSO Major Chad Plueger.
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