With just days to go until Independence Day 2020, Georgia law enforcement officials have issued a stern warning to any drivers considering going out on the road impaired over the upcoming holiday weekend — drive sober or risk arrest, imprisonment, injury or worse. 

"There is nothing more selfish than for someone to risk their life and the lives of others by getting behind the wheel when they know they are legally over the limit,” Governor's Office of Highway Safety Director Allen Poole said in a press release on Wednesday. "The only way to prevent a drunk driving crash is for everyone to make the smart decision to give the keys to a sober driver."

This year, according to the release, the holiday travel period is 54 hours long, beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 3 and ending at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 5. 

According to the release, 26 people died in Georgia traffic crashes over last year’s 102-hour Fourth of July holiday period. During that time, troopers with Georgia State Patrol made 422 DUI arrests and issued more than 29,000 citations or warnings to Georgia drivers. 

In a separate release on the upcoming holiday, Colonel Gary Vowell, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety said that GSP will be participating in a “Zero Tolerance campaign”  during the holiday weekend to apprehend impaired drivers and crackdown on aggressive or distracted drivers. 

“State troopers and officers will be on high visibility patrols during the 54-hour holiday period,” Vowell said. “Our goal is to keep the number of traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities at a minimum, as well as discourage impaired driving.” 

The release states that a  holiday traffic count will be updated throughout the holiday period on the Georgia Department of Public Safety Twitter page, twitter.com/ga_dps.