The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDSOHS), Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), and Tennessee Highway Safety Office this week joined multiple law enforcement partners in announcing the Tennessee Interstate Challenge traffic safety initiative for this year’s Thanksgiving holiday travel period.
“Many people are traveling across Tennessee to celebrate and give thanks with their loved ones,” TDSOHS Commissioner Jeff Long said in a statement. “With the Tennessee Interstate Challenge, we are working to prevent crashes and help everyone get home safely.”
As part of the initiative, THP is increasing patrols during the Thanksgiving holiday by placing troopers every 10-20 miles on all Tennessee interstates.
THP is also requesting every law enforcement agency across the state to “have a strict tolerance for traffic violations in their areas of jurisdiction” and increase patrols during the holiday travel period as part of the safety initiative.
In addition to its ramped-up patrols on Tennessee interstates, THP is also increasing patrols on all secondary roadways across the state to “support local law enforcement partners that do not have an interstate system running through their jurisdictions.”
“I recognize the fact that we cannot enforce our way out of traffic incidents, but we are going to do our part to promote highway safety,” THP Colonel Matt Perry added in a statement. “We are also asking drivers to do their part. Wear your seatbelt and don’t drive distracted or intoxicated. If we work together, we can stop preventable crashes.”
Over last year’s Thanksgiving holiday, THP arrested 89 people for DUI and worked 511 crashes – 14 of which involved fatalities.
THP issued 469 seat belt citations and 2,575 speeding citations during last year’s Thanksgiving travel period.
The safety initiative comes as the American Automobile Association (AAA) projects that more than 1.25 million Tennesseans will drive 50 miles or more during this Thanksgiving holiday travel period.
As such, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced that travelers would not be delayed by construction on Tennessee roads during this year’s holiday as the department is halting all lane closure activity on interstates and state highways.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Tennessee Highway Patrol” by Tennessee Highway Patrol.
