While I was glad to see the Georgia Department of Public Safety's estimate of 18 fatalities over the Labor Day holiday was high, nine people lost their lives in Georgia accidents over the weekend. The fatalities occurred in Jasper, Gainesville, Marietta, Milledgeville, Thomson, Conyers and Waycross. The majority of these fatal accidents were predictably concentrated in the extended metro Atlanta interstate corridors.
The number of car and truck crashes exceeded the estimate of 1,725 and climbed to 2,231 accidents over the three day weekend. The actual number of injuries was lower than expected with 614 individuals needing medical treatment after a traffic accident.
The excessive increase in accidents this past Labor Day causes one to wonder if the impact of cell phones and PDAs on driver distraction had anything to do with these traffic accidents. You might want to test your own driver distraction on the previous post Cell Phones and Car Accidents: Gauge Your Own Distraction. Whether it is a holiday weekend or not, there is no substitute for driving defensively, buckling up, and putting your cell phone out of reach while you are on the road.
