Star Staff Reports
Millington Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) to increase impaired-driving enforcement from December 14, 2018, to January 1, 2019, surrounding the holiday season. The THSO’s statewide Booze It and Lose It campaign is part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over nationwide mobilization. The Millington Police Department will be conducting safety and sobriety checks starting today through New Year’s Day. The safety checks will target impaired drivers and to ensure vehicle safety laws are met. All safety and impaired driver violations will be strictly enforced. Chief Mark Dunbar advises toffollow these tips for keeping yourself and those around you safe during holiday travels: If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use on demand transportation such as UBER or LYFT so you are sure to get home safely. If you see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to call 911. If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to safely get to where they are going. 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. “We ask all Tennesseans to please drive safely this holiday season,” said THSO Director Vic Donoho. “Our state and local law enforcement partners will be out in full force to secure Tennessee roadways. We want everyone to make it home safely, so please designate a sober driver.” 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 Millington Police Department increased enforcement efforts during the Booze It and Lose It holiday campaign.
For more information about the THSO, visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.
