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HANDS ACROSS THE BORDER Checkpoints, May, 11 Governor’s Highway Safety Press Conference Scheduled For May 12

Release Date: May 11, 2006

The Governor's Highway Safety Office is joining with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and statewide law enforcement agencies to lead this year's multi-jurisdictional safety education and enforcement effort called “Hands Across the Border”.  This enforcement effort is designed to bring awareness to the “Click It or Ticket” mobilization.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the Memphis Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies in this area have joined forces with the Tennessee Highway Patrol to conduct multiple enforcement efforts on Thursday, May 11, 2006, commencing at 10:00 p.m.  Hands Across the Border Checkpoint locations are as follows: 

• Hacks Cross and State Line Road - Shelby County Sheriff’s Office
• Highway 51 and State Line Road -  Memphis Police Department
• Airways and State Line Road – Memphis Police Department
• Highway 72 and State Line Road – Tennessee Highway Patrol & Fayette County Sheriff’s Office

The GHSO will host a press conference on Friday, May 12, 2006 at 1:00 PM at the I-55 Welcome Center.

Colonel Walker with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Kendell Poole, Director of the Governor's Highway Safety Office will attend this press conference.  Shelby County Sheriff Mark Luttrell and other Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Command staff will be present.

Nashville, TN - May 8, 2006

TENNESSEE LEADS EIGHT STATE INITATIVE PROMOTING HIGHWAY SAFETY

Law Enforcement Blitz Zeroing in on One in Five Americans Who Still Don’t Get It

Nashville, Tenn. – Nearly one in five Americans still fail to regularly wear their safety belts when driving or riding in a motor vehicle, according to a new report from the national Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Among those least likely to buckle up:  young males, pickup truck drivers and their passengers, people who live in rural areas, and night-time drivers.

That’s why the Governor’s Highway Safety Office announced today they are joining with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and statewide law enforcement agencies, to lead this year’s annual multi-jurisdictional safety education and enforcement effort called “Hands Across the Border.”  “Hands Across the Border” is designed to bring awareness to this year’s national Click It or Ticket mobilization.  Agencies in Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi will join forces with the Volunteer State in a pledge to actively enforce safety belt laws, increase safety patrols and conduct sobriety checkpoints during the heavily traveled summer months.

A high visibility enforcement initiative called “Buckle Up In Your Truck” was added to this year’s campaign.  The eight Southeastern states participating in the “Buckle Up In your Truck” blitz contain approximately 20 percent of the nation’s population but represent approximately 26 percent of the nation’s traffic fatalities.  “The goal is simple:  to save more lives by convincing pickup truck drivers and their passengers to always buckle up,” said Commissioner Gerald Nicely, Tennessee Department of Transportation.

“Our goal is to boost the state’s overall 74% safety belt usage rate and reduce fatalities,” said Kendell Poole, Director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Office.  “Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for every age, 3 through 33, in the United States.  These figures have greater meaning given that nearly all vehicle crashes are preventable.”

Law enforcement officials will show zero tolerance this summer for anyone not buckled up, speeding, or driving impaired,” added Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Mike Walker.  “Safety belts clearly save lives.” “Unless you want to risk a ticket, or worse – your life, you need to remember to Click It or Ticket day and night.”

Media events will be held throughout Tennessee bringing together troopers, local officers, government agencies and traffic safety advocates across all eight states to formally announce plans to promote strict adherence to all traffic laws.  Nights prior to each press event, sobriety checkpoints will be conducted along Tennessee’s borders in unison with our neighboring states (see attached schedule of activities). 

“Hands Across the Border” was created in 1991 by safety advocates across the Southeast to bring about awareness of safety belt and aggressive driving concerns.  Participating state and local enforcement agencies sponsor education and community outreach events where motorists learn about the dangers of impaired driving and violating the speed limit as well as the importance of obeying all occupant protection laws.

Tennessee Department of Transportation Governor’s Highway Safety Office Hands Across the Border - May 2006 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
SOBRIETY CHECKPOINT			CORRESPONDING PRESS EVENT
Date	Location		Date	Location
May 10 1A	Pickett County, TN		May 15 1A	Welcome Center Tennessee Kentucky I- 65 10:00 AM CDT
May 10 1B	Giles County, TN		May 11 1B	Ardmore Welcome Center I-65 south of Nashville on the Alabama line 10:00 AM CDT
May 11 2A	Bristol, TN		May 12 2A	Bristol Welcome Center I-81 northeast of Knoxville on the Virginia line 10:00 AM EDT
May 11 2B	Shelby County, TN		May 12 2B	Memphis I-55 Welcome Center I-55 north of the MS line 1:00 PM CDT
May 12 3A	Montgomery Co., TN		May 15 3A & 1A	Welcome Center Tennessee Kentucky I- 65 10:00 AM CDT
May 17 3B	Carter County, TN		May 18 3B	Hartford Welcome Center I-40 southeast of Newport on the North Carolina line 10:00 AM EDT
May 18 4A	Hamilton County, TN		May 19 4A	Georgia Welcome Center I-75 GA/TN State Line 10:00 AM EDT

 

 

 

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