Ashland City TN – Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) for its “Booze It and Lose It” campaign from August 17 to September 3, surrounding the Labor Day holiday. This initiative coincides with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” mobilization to increase impaired-driving enforcement nationwide.
The Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint and saturation patrol on Saturday September 1 2018 from 1500 to 2300 hours. The checkpoint will be on Hwy 70 in the area of E. Kingston Springs Rd/ Tanglewood Rd. with saturation patrols conducted after the checkpoint on various roadways throughout the county.
“We need our community to understand: It’s up to them to make the smart decision to drive sober—Labor Day, and every day,” said Sheriff Mike Breedlove. “Drunk driving is a huge problem in our country, and the numbers are rising, little by little. This isn’t about a ticketing campaign. This is about a campaign to get the message out that drunk driving is illegal and it takes lives. Help us put an end to this senseless behavior,” Breedlove said.
There is a small, silver lining: During the 2016 Labor Day holiday, 36 percent of fatalities in traffic crashes involved a drunk driver, which was one of the lowest percentages over the five-year period from 2012 to 2016. “We still have a lot of work to do,” cautions Sheriff Mike Breedlove. “The trend for the Labor Day holiday is in a positive direction, but our goal is to have zero fatalities, always,” he said.
Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office and THSO are reminding citizens of the many resources available to get them home safely. “Drunk driving is not acceptable behavior,” said Sheriff Mike Breedlove. “It is essential to plan a sober ride home before you ever leave for the party. That’s why, during the Labor Day holiday, we will make zero exceptions for drunk driving. There are just no excuses,” he said.
Increased state and national messaging about the dangers of drunk driving, coupled with increased sobriety checkpoints and high visibility enforcement, aim to drastically reduce the number of drunk-driving crashes, injuries, and fatalities this year.
The consequences of a single DUI conviction for a first-time offender in the state of Tennessee may include costly fines, court costs, legal fees, jail time, mandatory drug and alcohol treatment, and/or the installation of an ignition interlock device in his/her vehicle.
The THSO provides grant funding to support Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office increased enforcement efforts during the Booze It and Lose It campaign. For more information about the THSO, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.
