More than 50 sobriety and driver license checkpoints are planned across the state, as the Tennessee Highway Patrol steps up enforcement efforts for the 2011 St. Patrick’s Day holiday period now thru Midnight tonight.
According to Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons, “St. Patrick’s Day has become a popular holiday for many Americans to celebrate with friends and family. Unfortunately, it has also become a very dangerous night on our roadways due to drunk drivers. We want to remind all Tennesseans to act responsibly, drive safely and never get behind the wheel impaired.”
Nationwide, there were 103 crash fatalities on St. Patrick’s Day in 2009, according to statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Out of that number, 47 people were killed in traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. In Tennessee, six people were killed in six fatal crashes during the 2010 St. Patrick’s Holiday, and two of those crashes involved alcohol.
In 2010, preliminary statistics indicate that 1,033 people died on Tennessee roadways, a decline of one percent, compared to 1,043 fatalities in 2009. A driver convicted of DUI can face up to 48 hours in jail and the loss of driving privileges for up to a year for a first offense. The associated costs of driving impaired also include attorney fees, court costs, reinstatement fees and higher insurance premiums.
