FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 28, 2022
CONTACT: ARRIALE TABSON
Mobile: 615-767-3242
TENNESSEE HIGHWAY SAFETY OFFICE JOINS GEORGIA FOR ‘OPERATION HANDS FREE’
Tennessee Launches Award-Winning Distracted-Driving Enforcement Bus Tour Campaign on April 4
TENNESSEE – On Monday, April 4, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) is partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), AAA – The Auto Club Group, and traffic safety partners across Tennessee for Operation Hands Free. To kick off the campaign, the THSO will host four press events on April 4 including distracted-driving bus tours in Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. See below for details to attend and ride along.
“The THSO is proud to partner with the NHTSA, the State of Georgia, and our traffic safety partners across Tennessee,” said THSO Director Buddy Lewis. “In 2021, the THSO was honored to receive the Governor’s Highway Safety Association’s Peter K. O’Rourke Special Achievement Award for the innovative bus-tour concept and its effectiveness in distracted-driving enforcement and awareness.”
The purpose of Operation Hands Free is to reduce distracted-driving crashes and fatalities by increasing enforcement efforts and educating citizens about the states’ hands-free laws. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will assist by utilizing digital highway message boards to spread awareness. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development will display outdoor banners at welcome centers statewide. Drivers can learn more about Tennessee’s hands-free law at HandsFreeTN.com and Georgia’s hands-free law at HeadsUpGeorgia.com.
PRESS SCHEDULE:
NASHVILLE
Time: 8:30 AM CT
Location: Metro Nashville Police Department, Southeast Facility, Special Operations Building
Address: 1417 Murfreesboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37217
Contact: Chris Gilmore at Chris.Gilmore@tn.gov or 615-337-4273
Speakers:
- Arriale Tabson – Public Information Officer, THSO
- Anthony Griffin – Captain, THP Nashville District
- Sebastian Gourdin – Deputy Chief, Metro Nashville Police Department
- Megan Cooper – Public Relations & Government Affairs Consultant, AAA – The Auto Club Group
- Rodrigo Rodriguez Grazioso, MD – Vanderbilt Medical Center
MEMPHIS
Time: 9:00 AM CT
Location: Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center (auditorium)
Address: 3663 Appling Road, Bartlett, TN 38133
Contact: Karla Lipford at Karla.Lipford@tn.gov or 615-209-1912
Speakers:
- Jason Ivey – Deputy Director, THSO
- Jimmie Johnson – Captain, THP Memphis District
- Keith Watson – Colonel, Memphis Police Department
- Ciera Foster – Program Manager, Collegiate Life Investment Foundation
CHATTANOOGA
Time: 10:00 AM ET
Location: I-75 Welcome Center
Address: 100 Interstate 75, Northbound, Mile Marker 0.7, Chattanooga, TN 37412
Contact: Fred Sherrill at Fred.Sherrill@tn.gov or 423-421-3696
Speakers:
- Buddy Lewis – Director, THSO
- Alex Cabral – Deputy Regional Administrator, NHTSA Region 4
- Allen Poole – Director, GOHS
- Matt Perry – Colonel, THP
- Maurice Raines – Lieutenant, GSP
- Stephanie Milani – Director of Public Affairs, AAA – The Auto Club Group
KNOXVILLE
Time: 10:00 AM ET
Location: THP Knoxville District Headquarters
Address: 1755 Neals Commerce Lane, Suite 1, Knoxville, TN 37914
Contact: Derrick Woods at Derrick.Woods@tn.gov or 423-237-2197
Speakers:
- Steve Dillard – Senior Law Enforcement Liaison, THSO
- Stacey Heatherly – Captain, THP Knoxville District
- Tom Spangler – Sheriff, Knox County Sheriff’s Office
- Eve Thomas – Chief, Knoxville Police Department
- Catherine L. McKnight, MD – University of Tennessee Medical Center
# # #
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.