Drivers will be examined for drinking and driving during a DUI checkpoint from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday night on Old Nashville Highway in front of Stewartsboro Elementary School.
State troopers and Smyrna Police will join in checking drivers in an effort to keep the roads safe from drinking drivers during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, said Tennessee Highway Patrol Sgt. Jim Gunn.
THP is providing an extra incentive to buckle-up, obey posted speed limits signs and stay sober during the weekend.
State troopers will be out in force and will conduct more than 50 sobriety and
driver license checkpoints statewide.
The 2008 Thanksgiving holiday period begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26th and runs through midnight Sunday, Nov. 30th.
Thanks to a grant provided through the Governor’s Highway Safety Office, THP will take part in a law enforcement campaign called C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) across Tennessee.
“The C.A.R.E. Across Tennessee campaign allows us to increase our visibility during what is typically one of the busiest travel days of the year,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell. “We will work very hard to keep Tennessee roads and highways safe, and we ask drivers to do their part. Thanksgiving is a time to be with family and loved ones, and no one wants to spend it at a police station, hospital or even worse.”
Thirteen people were killed in crashes on Tennessee roads during the 2007 Thanksgiving holiday weekend. That is a decrease from 2006 when 20 people died.
“The drop in fatalities proves that our enforcement efforts are working, but I won’t be satisfied until the number of lives lost is zero,” stated Col. Mike Walker. “That may sound unrealistic, but if we don’t have that goal, then we’re not out there doing the job that we should be doing.”
In all of 2007, there were 1,210 traffic fatalities in Tennessee, and of these, 390 involved a driver with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or greater. Sobriety and driver license checkpoints are scheduled at various times throughout the holiday weekend in the state’s eight THP districts.
Before hitting the road, drivers should remember to inspect their cars, including tires, lights and wipers. If someone gets stranded on the highway or spots an aggressive driver, they can call *THP and be connected with the closest Tennessee Highway Patrol District Office.
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