THP Urges Labor Day Travelers to Drive Safely

Troopers Out in Force During Holiday Weekend, Targeting Aggressive Behavior

Labor Day Holiday Historical Information

September 1, 2004

NASHVILLE, Tenn., --- With countless motorist expected to hit the road this weekend for the Labor Day holiday, the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) will continue its aggressive enforcement efforts that have been in place throughout the busy summer months.

Beginning Friday, September 3 at 6 p.m. through Monday, September 6 at midnight, all available Troopers will patrol the roads in an effort to save lives and prevent injuries. Troopers will continue to place a special emphasis on speeding, safety belt and impaired driving violations.

"Increased travel heightens the likelihood of increased traffic crashes and fatalities," said Tennessee Department of Safety Commissioner Fred Phillips. "During last year's Labor Day holiday, 10 people lost their lives on Tennessee's roadways. As we come to the close of the summer season, I'm asking all Troopers to continue their aggressive enforcement efforts in an effort to keep all motorists safe."

From June to August THP conducted the "100 Days of Summer HEAT" enforcement campaign, which made a substantial impact on Tennessee's roadways. During the three separate enforcement blitzes of the HEAT program, Troopers:

• Issued a citation every 27 seconds
• Cited a driver every 53 seconds for a hazardous moving violation and every 55 seconds for a non-moving violation
• Arrested a DUI offender every 55 minutes
• Put a revoked driver in jail every one hour and 12 minutes
• Issued a citation to a speeding driver every 59 seconds
• Issued a citation to a driver committing other hazardous moving violations every 12 minutes (Reckless Driving, Improper Passing, Following Too Closely, etc)
• Cited a driver for not properly restraining a child passenger every 27 minutes
• Issued a safety belt citation every 4 minutes
• Conducted a commercial vehicle inspection every 11.7 minutes
• Assisted nearly 12 motorists every hour

"The efforts of each member of the Tennessee Highway Patrol this summer has been tremendous," added Commissioner Phillips. "As Troopers prepare for the last major holiday of the summer season, the department is also planning enforcement strategies to employ throughout the remainder of the year."

Preliminary numbers show 760 motorists have died on Tennessee's roads during the first eight months of the year. Nearly 65 percent of those killed were not properly restrained. Historically, September and October have produced some of the highest number of traffic related fatalities in Tennessee.

"The THP will maintain its active and aggressive enforcement of safety restraint and all other harmful violations on Tennessee's highways," said Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Lynn Pitts. "It's imperative to the safety of all drivers and passengers that Troopers stop the harmful behavior exhibited on the roads."

The Tennessee Department of Safety
( www.tennessee.gov/safety ) is responsible for ensuring the safety and general welfare of the traveling public. The department's general areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education and motorist services including the issuance of driver licenses and title and registration activities. The department and its highly trained staff of Troopers are responsible for safety on more than 15,000 miles of state and federal highways.