December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 5, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT:
Shelby Anderson, Lowndes County DUI Court Coordinator
229-671-2895 | [email protected]

December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

Lowndes County, Georgia: Impaired driving is one of the biggest threats to public safety in America, and it's an even bigger threat during the holidays. December is Impaired Driving Prevention Month, and the Lowndes County DUI Accountability Court wants to remind you to drive safely. In 2023, this country lost 12,429 Americans to alcohol-impaired driving alone, and 27% of those lives were lost in the State of Georgia (Governor's Office of Highway Safety, 2025). These are our friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers, and their tragic deaths were entirely preventable. This December, let's recommit to seeing that number drop. Over the holidays, be a hero. Help us save lives. Help us protect our communities. Help us End Impaired Driving.

For over two decades, drug treatment courts in the US have proven that a combination of accountability and treatment can lead people into recovery, reduce crime, and save resources. Better screening and assessment can identify individuals likely to repeat impaired driving and ensure that they receive enhanced supervision and evidence-based treatment. For the majority, an arrest for impaired driving is a huge wake-up call, and many will never receive another offense. But without intervention, others will continue to repeat this behavior. According to the National Institutes of Health, repeat impaired drivers commonly suffer from mental health and substance use disorders, and left untreated, they are statistically the most dangerous drivers on the road. Early screening for all impaired drivers can help identify those at risk for repeating this dangerous behavior, ensuring that they receive an appropriate clinical and behavioral response.

The Lowndes County DUI Accountability Court, established in January of 2017, builds on the success of the drug treatment court movement by focusing on repeat and/or high blood alcohol content (BAC) DUI offenders with substance use disorders. DUI court participants are under strict supervision: they have mandated curfews with regular home visits, continuous drug/alcohol monitoring, and frequent appearances in court. They undergo rigorous, evidence-based individual and group treatment and must pass frequent and random drug tests. In addition to all of the requirements, many of the participants in the DUI Court are employed in the community, perform community service in the community, and/or advance their education. Research on this combination of accountability and treatment shows that DUI courts are a successful way to reduce impaired driving by decreasing recidivism by 60%.

The Lowndes County DUI Accountability Court uses a strong team approach that requires the offender to deal with his/her substance abuse problem. Team members include: Judge Ellen Golden, Court Coordinator Shelby Anderson, Prosecutor Mickey Johnson, Defense Attorney Gee Edwards, Treatment Specialist and owner of Redirect Counseling, Laci Rankhorn, Lowndes County Deputies Jason Reeves and Josh Anderson, and Lowndes County Probation Officer Kayla Porter.

If you would like more information about the Lowndes County DUI Court or may be interested in being a part of the Advisory Board, please call Shelby Anderson at 229-671-2895 or send her an email at [email protected] .