The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) will conduct a variety of traffic safety tools and utilize data-driven enforcement during the Fourth of July holiday period to help reduce serious injury and fatal crashes across the state. The traffic safety campaign will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Friday and conclude at midnight on Sunday.
Twelve people were killed in Tennessee during last year’s 96-hour Fourth of July holiday period. That is down from the 19 vehicular deaths during the 2013 July 4th holiday. Of last year’s 12 traffic fatalities, seven were vehicle occupants and five were motorcyclists. Four (57%) of the individuals killed were not wearing seat belts and three of the traffic deaths were alcohol-related.
“Our number one priority is to reduce the number of traffic fatalities in Tennessee,” Colonel Tracy Trott said. “We have stressed data-driven, proactive enforcement of DUI, seat belt and hazardous moving violations in an effort to reach that goal. This Fourth of July holiday, we will use our predictive analytics to deploy resources to the right places at the right times to save lives,” he added.
THP district captains will utilize predictive analytics to allocate manpower and target areas where the likelihood of alcohol-related, serious injury or fatal crashes may occur during the Fourth of July period. State troopers will also conduct saturation patrols and sobriety and seat belt checkpoints to help keep citizens safe. Additionally, Lawrence County state troopers will enforce “No Refusal” due to a 10 percent increase in traffic fatalities in 2015.
State troopers arrested 125 individuals statewide on suspicion of impaired driving and cited 1,504 motorists for violation of the seat belt law during last year’s Fourth of July period.
“We will utilize all of our resources to keep those traveling in Tennessee safe this Fourth of July holiday,” Colonel Trott said.
During the first six months of 2015, preliminary statistics show that 50 percent of the state’s traffic fatalities are from unrestrained motorists and 18 percent are due to an alcohol-impaired driver.
As of June 29, preliminary statistics indicate 416 people have died on Tennessee roadways in 2015, compared to 455 fatalities at this same time in 2014.