Eastbound vehicles on Interstate 24 travel under a digital road sign Thursday stating the number of traffic fatalities in Tennessee this year.Nationwide traffic-related fatalities* 2011: 32,310** 2010: 32,885*preliminary findingsSource: National Highway Safety AdministrationTennessee traffic-related fatalities* 2012: 544** 2011: 946* 2010: 1,032*as of July 19Source: Tennessee Department of SafetyIn other statesSome states, including the following, place individual memorial markers for traffic-related fatalities on highways at the request of the family:AlaskaColoradoFloridaGeorgiaIllinois (DUIs only)MissouriMontana (American Legion places white crosses)New MexicoSouth DakotaTexasVirginiaWashington (DUIs only)West VirginiaWyomingSource: State departments of transportation
Five hundred forty-four. That’s the number of deaths so far this year on Tennessee roads, according to signs towering over Interstate 75.
The fatalities signs, which debuted on April 30, are a collaboration between the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the state Department of Safety and the Tennessee Highway Patrol to educate people about the dangers of driving, especially driving under the influence and seatbelt safety.
Chattanooga resident Grace Mullaney said seeing the signs on the highway was “jarring.”
“Every time I see them, I think, ‘Maybe I should slow down,'” she said. “It’s scary, you know, to see the numbers. I always think about my dad saying, ‘Driving a car is a big responsibility,’ when I first started driving. It runs through my head when I see the signs.”