THP Urges Motorists to Drive Responsibly this St. Patrick’s Day
Don’t Rely on the Luck of the Irish - Designate a Sober Driver
NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Department of Safety reminds residents to designate a sober driver and don’t rely on luck this St. Patrick’s Day. Tennessee Highway Patrol Troopers will conduct nearly 40 sobriety and driver license checkpoints across the state in an effort to get impaired drivers off the road. The official St. Patrick’s Day holiday begins at 6:00 p.m., March 16, 2009, and runs through 6:59 a.m. on March 18, 2009.
“St. Patrick’s Day is a popular night for many people to celebrate with friends,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell. “Unfortunately, it is also a dangerous night due to impaired drivers. Don’t rely on the luck of the Irish. Act responsibly and use a designated driver or sober friend to get you home from the celebration.”
- Plan Ahead. If you’ll be drinking, arrange a safe way home before the festivities begin.
- Before drinking, designate a sober driver and give that person your keys.
- If you’re impaired, call a taxi, use public transportation, or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely.
- Use the local Sober Ride program.
- If you see a drunk driver on the road, promptly contact your local law enforcement agency (Dial *THP)
- Remember, Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk. If you or someone who is about to drive or ride with someone who is impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.
- Drunk driving violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver license, higher insurance rates, and dozens of other unanticipated expenses, ranging from attorney fees, court costs, car towing and repairs and lost wages due to time off from work.
- And remember, the tragedies and costs of driving drunk are serious and real. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for drunk driving are significant.
- Of Tennessee’s 1,211 fatalities in 2007, 390 (32%) occurred in crashes involving one or more drivers with an illegal BAC (0.08+).
Alcohol Impaired Driving Related Fatalities, Tennessee
|
|||||
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
Fatalities
|
1,193
|
1,339
|
1,270
|
1,284
|
1,211
|
Driver BAC = 0.08+
|
370
|
439
|
376
|
414
|
390
|
Percent
|
31%
|
33%
|
30%
|
32%
|
32%
|
Source: TN Dept of Safety, Office of Research, Statistics, and Analysis, 11 Mar 2009.
|