Buckle up during holiday driving
Authorities are urging motorists to buckle up and drive defensively during the upcoming Christmas holiday.
“We cannot emphasize enough the importance of wearing seatbelts,” said Tennessee Highway Patrol Col. Mark V. Fagan. “It’s one of the simplest things you can do, and it can save your life or the life of your child.”
During last year’s Christmas observance, 22 people were killed in traffic crashes across the state. Of that number, 17 victims were not wearing seatbelts with one of the victims being a child who was not in a child restraint device.
Highway patrolmen will be out in force over the holiday period which begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday and continues through midnight Wednesday.
Lawmen noted they will be aggressively looking for motorists who drink and drive under the Booze It and Lose It program. The enforcement will include sobriety checkpoints throughout the state.
“It’s tragic to lose a family member at any time,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Jerry W. Scott. “But during the holiday season it is even more tragic, especially when it is caused by someone else’s choice to drink and drive. We want people to know if they make that choice and are caught, they will go to jail and they will lose their license.”