PRESS RELEASE

ATLANTA – The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) is announcing the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is one of 21 law enforcement agencies in Georgia to receive a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant for the 2021 grant season. Referred to as a H.E.A.T. grant, Forsyth County’s award totals $120,013.49.

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 Forsyth 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.  GOHS H.E.A.T. grants are funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“The loss of one life on our roads is one too many, and the fact almost all fatal traffic crashes can be prevented is one reason why we are awarding this grant,” Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Allen Poole said. “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.

“Traffic concerns are one of our citizens’ most prevalent complaints. Keeping our citizens safe on our roadways is an incredibly important job for FCSO. Grants such as this HEAT grant from GOHS help us do just that, keep our citizens safe by helping us take dangerous drivers off our roads,” said Sheriff Ron Freeman.

As law enforcement partners in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over DUI and Click It or Ticket seatbelt campaigns, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office will also conduct mobilizations throughout the year in coordination with GOHS’s year-round waves of high visibility patrols, concentrated patrols, and multi-jurisdictional sobriety checkpoints.

The grant will continue through September of 2021.

For more information about the H.E.A.T. program or any other GOHS campaign, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org or call 404-656-6996.