Georgia Officer-Involved Crashes Trigger Driver Training

State troopers and other law enforcement officers in Georgia are being assigned to brush up on their driving skills after a spate of crashes.

The Brunswick News reports that state officials have grown so concerned about the number of accidents caused by emergency vehicles they are instating a mandatory training program.

Georgia State Patrol troopers will start receiving annual, four-hour driving courses this month.

According to the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, there were 2,475 crashes involving on-duty officers statewide in 2011, resulting in three deaths and 386 people being injured.

Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said his agency has already initiated an annual refresher program. There have been 15 crashes involving county officers so far this year, with the police found at fault in nine of them.