CITY OF JOHNSON CITY
JOHNSON CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
NEWS RELEASE
Prepared By: | MPOII Allan Rutledge | Date: | 08/27/14 | Time: | 8:00am |
Subject: | DUI Enforcement Patrols | Approved By: | Chief Mark Sirois |
The Johnson City Police Department will be placing additional officers on the streets this Labor Day weekend on the lookout for impaired drivers. These high visibility patrols will be conducted in partnership with the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” 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. Preliminary figures indicate there have been 3,981 crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers on Tennessee roadways from January 1 through August 15, 2014. That is 339 fewer (down 7.8%) than the 4,320 crashes during those same time period in 2013.During the 2013 Labor Day holiday, 16 motorists died in 15 fatal traffic crashes across Tennessee, six of which were alcohol-related (38%). That is an increase from the 13 people killed (23.1%) in vehicle crashes during the 2012 holiday weekend. Seat belt usage is another contributing factor in crashes across the state. So far in 2014, 50% of all motor vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes were not wearing a safety restraint.