Johnson City Police Department Press Release - Thanksgiving Day Holiday DUI Saturation Patrols

 The Johnson City Police Department will be placing additional officers on the streets over this Thanksgiving Day holiday period on the lookout for impaired drivers.  These high visibility patrols will be conducted in partnership with the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” campaign.  The Governor’s Highway Safety Office is providing grant overtime funding for Johnson City officers to conduct these DUI enforcement patrols aimed at removing impaired drivers from the road during this busy holiday weekend.

The Johnson City Police Department reminds everyone that buzzed driving is drunk driving.  Getting behind the wheel after even just one too many drinks can lead to disaster.  Last year, six people were injured in vehicle accidents on Johnson City roadways during the Thanksgiving Day weekend.  Two of those crashes were alcohol-related.  According to the Tennessee Department of Safety, nine people died in vehicle accidents across Tennessee during Thanksgiving Day Holiday weekend in 2011.  Although Tennessee’s legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit is .08, even a slight alcoholic “buzz” that’s well below legal limits can be unsafe for drivers and lead to their arrest for impaired driving.