Tennessee’s First Statewide Distracted Driving Enforcement Bus Tour Yielded 224 Traffic Citations

Tennessee’s First Statewide Distracted Driving Enforcement Bus Tour Yielded 224 Traffic Citations

TENNESSEE – From Monday, April 10, to Thursday, April 13, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) and the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) partnered with local law enforcement agencies for Tennessee’s first statewide distracted driving enforcement bus tour to promote National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The THP provided a large, black and tan bus marked with THP logos to transport law enforcement as they observed motorists for traffic violations.

“Distracted driving is a major epidemic, not only in Tennessee but across the nation,” said Vic Donoho, Director of the THSO. “This is about changing driver behavior, not writing citations. Everyone is aware that distracted driving is wrong. They text and drive anyway, because it’s culturally acceptable. We’re here to change that cultural mindset by making a strong statement and increasing enforcement efforts.”

During the tour, officers within the THP bus communicated to patrol vehicles on the road for execution of enforcement action. Each participating district conducted approximately one to two hours of enforcement. Results are listed below.

Click here for photos: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPNmVI_gJobQMphVrneXUGic1TuREte6nii....

Click here for video: https://youtu.be/qSiX_E8TGBg

Monday, April 10

Memphis = 22 citations

Jackson = 7 citations

Tuesday, April 11

Nashville = 35 citations

Wednesday, April 12

Chattanooga = 8 citations

Knoxville = 81 citations

Thursday, April 13

Fall Branch = 50 citations

Cookeville = 21 citations

Note: The total numbers of citations include additional violations discovered during these traffic stops. Throughout the tour, the THSO used #ThumbsDownTN to promote its third annual Thumbs Down to Texting and Driving campaign. To learn more about distracted driving, visit tntrafficsafety.org/distracted-driving.  For more information, contact Arriale Tabson at arriale.tabson@tn.gov or Lt. Bill Miller at bill.miller@tn.gov.

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The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) is a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security advocating for traffic safety. The THSO works in tandem with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to implement statewide programs addressing occupant protection, impaired driving, speed enforcement, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and crash data collection and analysis. Programs administered by the THSO are 100 percent federally funded. The THSO’s mission is to effectively develop, implement, and evaluate these programs. To learn more, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.