Traffic accidents claim 11 lives over weekend

The number was down from last year’s holiday toll of 18 deaths, said Mike Browning, spokesman for the state Department of Safety.

The preliminary report records traffic fatalities during a 78-hour period from Friday evening to Monday at midnight. The number will not be final until all municipalities have finished reporting.

Tennessee Highway Patrol increased patrols and set up sobriety checkpoints across the state over the weekend.

Seven victims who were in vehicles were not wearing a safety belt, including Jason Bair, 23, of Hartsville. He was killed early Saturday morning when his car ran off a curve and struck a tree in Macon County. According to troopers at the scene, Bair tested positive for alcohol.

Three of the fatalities occurred during alcohol-related crashes, down from six last year.

One of the fatalities was driving an all-terrain vehicle and not wearing a helmet. No children who required child restraint devices were killed over the weekend.