News Direct From Town Hall in Smyrna, Tennessee
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First.
Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under
Arrest.
National Labor Day Enforcement Crackdown
Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In fact, during 2004, nearly
13,000 people were killed in highway crashes involving an impaired driver or
motorcycle operator with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or
higher. The picture for motorcycle operators is particularly bleak. Forty-one
percent of the 1,672 motorcycle operators who died in single-vehicle crashes in
2004 had BAC levels of .08 or higher.
That’s why local law enforcement officials will be joining with thousands of
other law enforcement and highway safety agencies across the nation during
August and the Labor Day holiday to launch an aggressive new crackdown on
impaired drivers called: Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.
Our message is simple. No matter what you drive – a passenger car, pickup, sport
utility vehicle or motorcycle – if we catch you driving impaired, we will arrest
you. No exceptions. No excuses. We will be out in force conducting sobriety
checkpoints, saturation patrols and using undercover officers to get more drunk
drivers off the road. We want everyone to play it safe and always designate a
sober driver or find a different way home if they have been out drinking.
Driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is illegal in every state. Although drunk
driving fatalities across the nation slightly declined in 2003 and 2004, these
fatalities are projected to increase in 2005. Moreover, according to the FBI’s
Uniform Crime Report, more than 1.4 million people were arrested for driving
under the influence during 2004.
Much of the tragedy from drunk driving can be prevented with a few simple
precautions before going out to celebrate:
• Whenever you plan on consuming alcohol, designate a sober driver before going
out and give that person your keys;
• If you’re impaired, call a taxi, use mass transit or call a sober friend or
family member to get you home safely;
• Promptly report drunk drivers you see on the roadways to law enforcement;
• Wearing your safety belt while in a car or using a helmet and protective gear
when on a motorcycle is your best defense against an impaired driver;
• And remember, Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk. If you know someone who
is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make
other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.
Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk. Not only do you risk killing
yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an
arrest for impaired driving can be significant. Violators often face jail time,
the loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, time
away from work, and dozens of other expenses.
Don’t take the chance. Drunk driving is a serious crime. Remember: Drunk
Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.
For more information, visit
www.StopImpairedDriving.org .
NEW 4-WAY STOP
Beginning Monday, August 23, 2010, Rock Springs Road at Mason
Tucker Drive will become a permanent 4-way stop. Rumble strips will be installed
on Rock
Springs Road as safety devices. Please exercise extreme caution, be observant,
and obey all signage.
For questions or comments, please call the Public Works Dept. at 459-9766.