The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety announced the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant for the 2020 grant season. Referred to as a H.E.A.T. grant, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office award totals $142,868.00.

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 Bibb County Sheriff’s 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.

Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Allen Pool says, “The loss of one life on our roads is one too many, and the fact that almost all fatal traffic crashes can be prevented is one reason why we are awarding this grant. The target of zero traffic deaths in our nation is achievable, and we will continue to help develop and implement educational messages and enforcement campaigns aimed at bringing our state one step closer to that goal.”

Totaling $6.7 million for 2021, H.E.A.T. grants fund specialized traffic enforcement activities 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.

Bibb Sheriff David Davis says, “We are grateful to once again be a recipient of this important traffic safety grant. We can be proud of the work the deputies have done to make our roads safer to travel in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The deputies on the HEAT Unit have no doubt impacted countless lives by stopping aggressive and impaired drivers.”

As law enforcement partners in the Operation Zero Tolerance DUI and Click It or Ticket seatbelt campaigns, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office will also conduct mobilizations throughout the year in coordination with GOHS year-round waves of high visibility patrols, multi-jurisdictional road checks, 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.