(ATLANTA) The Governors Office of Highway Safety has announced that the Carroll County Sheriffs Office is one of 21 law enforcement agencies in Georgia to receive a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant for the Federal 2022 Fiscal Year. Referred to as a H.E.A.T. grant, Carroll County Sheriffs Office award totals $151,359.35.
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 Carroll County Sheriffs Office 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.
With the increase in the number of persons killed in traffic crashes in Georgia and across the nation over the last year, the Governors Office of Highway Safety is working with partners like the Carroll County Sheriffs Office to implement programs designed to stop the risky driving behaviors that are contributing to a majority of our serious-injury and fatality crashes, Allen Poole, Director of the Governors Office of Highway Safety said. Many of the fatal traffic crashes on our roads are preventable, and we will continue to work with our educational and enforcement partners to develop programs and initiatives that are designed to get Georgia to our goal of zero traffic deaths.
H.E.A.T. grants fund specialize 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.
I am very proud of the work our H.E.A.T. unit continues to do to ensure the safety of all our citizens and those passing through our community by conducting aggressive traffic enforcement and educating our community through utilizing special programs and social media, said Sheriff Terry Langley in a statement.
As law enforcement partners in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over DUI campaign and the Click It Or Ticket seatbelt campaigns, the Carroll County Sheriffs Office will also conduct mobilizations throughout the year in coordination with GOHSs year-round waves of high visibility patrols, multi-jurisdictional roadchecks and sobriety checkpoints.
For more information about the H.E.A.T. program or any other GOHS campaign, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org or call 404-656-6996.