Labor Day weekend to include roadblocks
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According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, roadblocks will be held on Highway 8 and Yager Road in Warren County. The roadblocks are part of a state-wide initiative which will run through the Labor Day holiday as the state hopes to reduce the number of crashes over the heavily traveled extended holiday weekend.
Troopers will be asking motorists for their driver’s licenses at the stops. State law requires motorists to have their valid driver’s license in their possession at all times when they are driving. The law also requires motorists to carry proof of insurance and proof of vehicle ownership. Violation of any of these laws could lead to citation. Driving on a revoked or suspended license may also lead to arrest, and, in cases of multiple offenders, the forfeiture of their automobile.
In addition to roadblocks and license enforcement, troopers and local lawmen will be on the lookout for drunk drivers. The Labor Day initiative comes as the state is continuing its Back-to-School campaign in an attempt to educate motorists of the hazards around school zones as students return to class.
“Thousands of children board school buses every day, and making sure they are transported safely is one of our highest priorities,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Fred Phillips. “We will do everything we can do to protect them.”
Troopers will be concentrating on reducing speed in school zones, and making sure motorists follow the law that requires them to stop their vehicles when meeting or coming up behind a bus while passengers are getting on or off. To accomplish this, troopers will be working school zones in the mornings and afternoons, and the THP will randomly place troopers on school buses, especially in areas where there have been a large number of violators reported.
THP Colonel Lynn Pitts says troopers will be working closely with local law enforcement officers, particularly in rural areas.