Fourth holiday first test for tougher DUI law
Motorists who drink and drive during the July 4th holiday may be the first to feel the teeth of the state’s new drunk driving law, after the legal limit officially dropped to .08 Tuesday.
Last year, 16 people were killed on Tennessee highways over the Fourth of July holiday with one-fourth of the fatalities being alcohol-related. Half of the victims were also not wearing seatbelts.
“If you’re traveling over the holidays, make sure to buckle up,” said McMinnville Police Chief Joe Melton. “It’s also a good idea to buckle up on a regular basis even if you’re just going a short distance.”
Troopers with the highway patrol will be actively looking for drunk drivers over the holiday weekend and will also be checking for seatbelt usage under the Click it or Ticket initiative.
“We believe this is an important change that is going to save lives,” said state Safety Commissioner Fred Phillips of the lower blood alcohol standard. “Drinking and driving is never safe and the new limits will help us get more drunk drivers off the road before they hurt themselves or someone else.”
According to Chuck Taylor of the Governor’s Highway Safety office, studies have shown other states, which have reduced the legal limit to .08 from the former .10, have seen a 6 to 8 percent reduction in alcohol-related deaths. Critical driving skills including braking, steering, lane changing, judgment and response time become affected when a driver reaches .08.
While no roadblocks are planned in the city, Chief Melton said there will be heavy patrols to help discourage people from drinking and driving after holiday festivities. The highway patrol has been conducting sobriety checkpoints across the state recently as part of an initiative to cut down on drunk driving, so roadblocks are possible at locations across the county and state this weekend.
The holiday officially begins at 6 p.m. tomorrow and will continue through midnight Sunday.