FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2025
CONTACT: ARRIALE TABSON
Mobile: 615-767-3242
TENNESSEE HIGHWAY SAFETY OFFICE JOINS NASCAR STAR ROSS CHASTAIN FOR TRAFFIC SAFETY EVENT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On Thursday, May 29, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO), a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, joined NASCAR driver Ross Chastain for a traffic safety event, reminding attendees to “Use Your Melon” and never drink and drive. This event was exclusive for students at Nashville Auto-Diesel College to help increase traffic safety education and promote safe driving behaviors.
“Education is vital to improve the safety on our roadways,” said THSO Director Buddy Lewis. “We are grateful to have such strong partnerships to show young drivers that we care about their safety. Our goal is to reduce traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities by increasing our presence in the community and offering resources to support traffic safety education.”
According to Tennessee’s Integrated Traffic Analysis Network (TITAN), there were 6,022 traffic crashes statewide involving a drunk driver in 2024. Nearly 47 percent of drunk drivers were ages 20 – 34. During the event, Ross Chastain spoke to students about the dangers of drunk driving to help promote safe driving behaviors.
Accompanying Ross Chastain was the 2025 Georgia Watermelon Ambassador Katelyn Lindsay from Locust Grove, Ga., who handed out free watermelon slices to participants. Traffic safety partners showcased vehicle displays, educational resources, and hands-on activities to teach driver safety. Partners included Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Nashville Department of Transportation, Metro-Nashville Police Department, Alliance Highway Safety, Reduce TN Crashes, Skyline Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Tennessee Trucking Foundation, and Acceptance Insurance.
For more information, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.
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PHOTOS: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCgddc
TENNESSEE’S INTEGRATED TRAFFIC ANALYSIS NETWORK (TITAN):https://www.tn.gov/safety/stats/dashboards.html
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s mission is to serve, secure, and protect the people of Tennessee.
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.