The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) is ramping up its traffic safety initiatives. The THP is utilizing data-driven enforcement strategies during the Fourth of July holiday period to help reduce serious injury and fatal crashes across the state.
The traffic safety campaign began at 12:01 a.m. Friday and ends at midnight Tuesday. During last year’s 96-hour Fourth of July holiday period, 14 people were killed.
11 out of 14 people killed were wearing seat belts, three of the traffic deaths were alcohol-related.
“The goal of the Tennessee Highway Patrol is to prevent or reduce fatal traffic incidents,” Colonel Tracy Trott said. “We are stressing to our troopers that strict enforcement of hazardous traffic violations such as speeding, seat belt enforcement, distracted driving and driving under the influence will help us to accomplish our goal of reducing fatalities.”
THP district captains will use predictive analytics to allocate manpower and target areas where the likelihood of alcohol-related, serious injury or fatal crashes may occur during the holiday period. State troopers will also conduct saturation patrols, sobriety and seat belt checkpoints.
State troopers arrested 166 individuals statewide on suspicion of impaired driving and cited 1,849 motorists for violation of the seat belt law during the same period last year.
“The public’s safety is the number one priority for our department,” Commissioner David W. Purkey said. “We urge motorists to seek alternate sober methods of transportation. Do not drive intoxicated.”
A list of scheduled checkpoints for this holiday period is available at https://www.tn.gov/safety/.