7 months ago
You might want to think twice before you drink and drive in Bibb County.
The Bibb County Sheriff's Office's H.E.A.T. Unit, that's highway enforcement of aggressive traffic, has posted higher numbers of DUI arrests in the last three years. It's a trend they're working to continue.
Melinda Adams got a big shock when a she says a drunk man walked in front of her car, but she knows it would have been worse if he was behind the wheel.
That near accident made her grateful for sheriff's deputies like Anthony Vadini. He's a member of Bibb County's H.E.A.T. Unit.
He's single-handedly made 124 of the county's DUI arrests last year.
"I like getting drunk drivers off the road. I've worked a number of fatalities, and hate working them and if I can get in there and get some of these guys off the road before they hurting themselves or other people it's worth it," said Vadini.
In 2003 the Sheriff's office arrested 269 people for driving under the influence. In 2004, that number dropped to 238, and took another dip in 2005 with 211.
After the Governor's Office of Highway Safety introduced the H.E.A.T. unit in 2006, the number rose to 226.
In 2007 it more than doubled to 501 and continued to rise in 2008, with 662 arrests.
Vadini says most of his DUI arrests come from speeders, and special equipment like cameras and radar that help track law-breakers.
Unit lieutenant, Chip Wagner says his deputies also have special training to spot other drugs that impair drivers, and they're free to concentrate on highway safety.
"They work mainly late at night when the impaired drivers are on the road, and that's all they're looking for. They're not out there answering calls. They're looking, hunting for people that are driving under the influence," said Lt. Wagner.
"Even though you're not drinking you have to watch out for those who are," said Adams, and that's exactly what the H.E.A.T. Unit plans to do.
Vadini says the H.E.A.T. unit is funded by a grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, so it doesn't cost tax payers.
