Drunken driving more common on first Friday of the month. How these 2 Macon agencies fight it

Monthly First Fridays in downtown Macon bring specials on food, drinks and live music. But they also bring an uptick in cases of driving under the influence, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s and Coroner’s offices.

The agencies are taking two approaches in an effort to address the issue: enforcing DUI laws, and trying to provide free rides to prevent drunk driving in the first place.

DUIs more common the first Friday of each month

Local deputies respond to more DUIs on the first Friday of the month than any other day on average, Sgt. Reginald Tillman confirmed.

“A lot of people do consider First Fridays the time to go downtown and have their celebrations, and a lot of businesses do push (alcohol) on First Fridays,” the 33-year-old officer said.

Tillman’s unit, under the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, arrests around six to nine people for DUI charges on a typical First Friday night in Macon, he told The Telegraph. Most occur between around 5 p.m. Friday and 4 a.m. Saturday.

There are likely more impaired drivers that go unaccounted for, as his unit consists of only three people.

“We only get the number of the few people that we do stop,” Tillman told The Telegraph.

Those offenders are not all belligerently drunk. A deputy can initiate a traffic stop for actions such as speeding or swerving, even if a driver hasn’t had much to drink.

The maximum legal blood-alcohol while driving under Georgia law is 0.08% for people over 21 years old, and 0.02% for people under 21.

But the levels are not necessarily what deputies look out for because “each person processes alcohol different,” Tillman said.

“Those tests aren’t pass or fail,” Tillman said. “They just show us the visual representation of the impairment… as far as how the body is processing that alcohol.”

The unit also conducts roadside sobriety tests for all vehicles on certain roads where people recently reported dangerous driving behaviors, or areas with similar patterns in the past. In the latter, the sheriff’s office compares the area’s previous DUI rates to see what is needed to cut them down.

The sheriff’s office has connected with local schools to inform students about safe driving. He also encourages people to go buck wild, but responsibly.

“We would rather teach the public than to lock people up,” Tillman said. “A night where we don’t have to lock a person up for a single DUI, we believe that we’ve done good.”

He was 25 years old when his friend, a 27-year-old, was killed when an impaired driver struck his vehicle on Thomaston and Tucker roads in Macon. The person driving under the influence survived the crash.

“It upsets me, but it’s something that could have been prevented…” Tillman said, tearing up. “Even if the individual doesn’t suffer any longterm effects or anything else like that, if I’ve gotten that impaired person off the road for the night, I feel like I’ve done something.”

Prevention: Local coroner gives free rides

Coroner Leon Jones said he’s sick of seeing photos of arrests made for DUI charges, so he’s taking it on himself: those who need a ride home after drinking downtown can just call him.

“I’m laying at the house, and I’m looking at Facebook, and you got DUI, DUI, DUI,” Jones said. “It’s simple. All you have to do is call me.”

As a coroner, he investigates and pronounces various deaths. Most DUI incidents in Macon do not end in fatalities, but this is something he still tries to avoid.

Every first Friday of the month since August, he has moseyed around town in an Enterprise rental van. He carries puke bags, four walkers and a wheelchair.

Most people who take him up on a ride are in their 30s. Illicit drugs are rarely involved, he said; it’s typically just people who have had too much to drink.

Anyone in Macon can call him for a free ride if they were drinking. He regularly posts his phone number on Facebook.

People are usually home by around 2 a.m., or when most bars close downtown.

If a rider attempts to tip him, he instead recommends buying a homeless person a meal.

Jones emphasized this is not part of his job description, and no one asked him to volunteer for this.

“I’m not a person that sits on my behind and draws a check just because I’m elected,” Jones said. “This is my upbringing.”

This story was originally published December 26, 2024 at 1:00 AM.