Governor’s Highway Safety Office Partners with Law Enforcement

In an effort to save lives on Tennessee’s roadways, local law enforcement agencies across the state will be out in force beginning April 12 through April 15, and from April 19 through April 22, as part of the “More Cops. More Stops.” campaign to crack down on drivers who are speeding, driving while under the influence or distracted, or not wearing seat belts.

Breaking traffic safety laws has deadly consequences. Of the people killed in Tennessee motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2011, 57 percent were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. Twenty-seven percent of the fatalities involved drivers or motorcycle riders with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or above and 23 percent were involved in speeding-related crashes.

More violations of basic traffic safety laws like not wearing a seat belt occur during nighttime hours. In 2011, 10,135 passenger vehicle occupants in the United States were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes at night (6:00 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.). Of those killed in nighttime crashes, 62 percent were not wearing seat belts, compared to 43 percent of daytime (6:00 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.) occupant fatalities.

“The statistics prove that violating Tennessee’s traffic safety laws can be deadly, and law enforcement officers will be out in force cracking down on unsafe drivers,” said Kendell Poole, Director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Office. “We hope the high visibility of the More Cops. More Stops. enforcement campaign will remind people to drive responsibly, reduce traffic crashes, and ultimately save lives in Tennessee.”

Tennessee law enforcement teamed with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to test the effectiveness of a combined highway safety law enforcement campaign called More Cops. More Stops. For more information on the More Cops. More Stops. campaign, please visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov or www.tntrafficsafety.org for more information.