NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be stepping up enforcement over the Christmas holiday.
Christmas is one of the most dangerous times of the year for motorists due to an increase in impaired driving. According to the Tennessee Department of Safety, the increased enforcement begins just after midnight tonight and runs through midnight Dec. 25.
THP Captain David McGill says it includes saturation patrols, bar and tavern checks, and driver license and sobriety checkpoints.
“All of our available personnel will be working. Our main concern is to remove any intoxicated drivers from the roadways and try to keep our fatal crashes and injury crashes down. We just want to make it a safe holiday for everyone traveling through our state here in Tennessee.”
During the 2011 Christmas holiday, nine people were killed on Tennessee roadways in six fatal crashes.
The Safety Department suggests that designating a sober driver and not letting friends drive drunk are simple ways to avoid a tragic crash or an arrest for impaired driving.