By Adam Crisp
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Tennessee’s holiday traffic deaths were up last year, and your chances of getting a ticket are going up this weekend.
Memorial Day marks the beginning of area law enforcement agencies’ summertime traffic enforcement campaign. That means more troopers, deputies and police officers on local roads and an increase in the chances that drivers will get ticketed if they skirt laws.
“Throughout the holiday weekend and the rest of the summer, drivers will see more state troopers strictly enforcing seat belt laws, stopping speeders and arresting impaired drivers,” said Tennessee Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell.
The reason for the jacked-up patrols is simple: Twenty-one people were killed on Tennessee roads during the 2007 Memorial Day holiday weekend, up from 16 deaths in 2006, according to the state safety department. Eight of the 12 people killed in automobile crashes last year were not wearing seat belts.
Seven motorcyclists, one pedestrian and one ATV driver also died during the 78-hour Memorial holiday period in 2007. Four of the deaths, about 21 percent, occurred in alcohol-related crashes, state records show.
“That is a disturbing upward trend that we are dedicated to reversing this year,” said Tennessee Highway Patrol Col. Mike Walker. “Let this be your warning: If you speed, if you drive while under the influence, if you don’t buckle up, we will stop you. You’ll get a ticket or possibly spend the holiday in jail.”
The 2008 Memorial Day holiday period begins at 6 p.m. today and ends at 11:59 p.m. Monday, state officials said.
Helping with the statewide effort are Chattanooga police and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department deputies. Both agencies plan targeted patrols and increased sobriety checkpoints this weekend.
Chattanooga officers will focus their efforts on the Tennessee-Georgia border in an ongoing “Hands Across the Border” campaign. The Highway Patrol will take part in those enforcement efforts at the Georgia, Alabama and Kentucky lines.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office didn’t provide specifics about its weekend patrol plans, but spokesman Sgt. Max Templeton said deputies will exercise zero tolerance for DUI, reckless and aggressive driving, seat belt violations, child restraint seat violations and speeding.
“Our goal is to prevent injuries and fatalities,” he said.
Copyright 2008 Chattanooga Times Free Press