January 18, 2012 Tennessee Highway Patrol announces lowest traffic fatalities in 48 years www.privateofficer.com
Nashville TN Jan 18 2012 Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security officials announced preliminary numbers indicating 2011 had the lowest number of traffic fatalities in 48 years.
The numbers released show 947 traffic-related deaths on Tennessee roadways last year, compared to 1,031 deaths in 2010. The number of deaths over the holiday season also decreased from six deaths in 2010 to two deaths in 2011.
Dalya Qualls, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, said she thinks a combined effort by law enforcement and increased public safety awareness campaigns and education helped contribute to the decrease in roadway fatalities in Tennessee.
“The 2011 decline in vehicular fatalities is a credit to the hard work and dedication of the Tennessee Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies, as well as the successful partnership with the Governor’s Highway Safety Office,” Commissioner Bill Gibbons said. “We are deploying state troopers on a proactive basis to maximize the impact on public safety.”
Gibbons also attributed the decrease in fatalities to an increase in DUI arrests and citations, which came with the increased presence of state troopers and other law enforcement on Tennessee roads. The THP investigated 1,090 impaired driving crashes statewide last year, representing a 25.6 decline from 2010.
Although vehicular deaths have decreased with heightened police presence, there is also one simple thing drivers can do that can drastically influence the statistics, Qualls said. More than 56 percent of the vehicle occupants killed last year in vehicle crashes were not wearing seatbelts, she said.
“We cannot stress enough the importance of wearing safety restraints,” she said. “It takes two seconds to buckle up. Increasing seatbelt usage is the most effective and immediate way to save lives and reduce injuries on roadways.”
Col. Tracy Trott of the THP said although the decline in fatalities is heartening, there is still more work to be done.
“One life lost is one too many, but we are encouraged by last year’s fatality results and will continue to make every effort to ensure the public’s safety on Tennessee roadways,” Trott said.
Source:nooga.com
Tags: Tennessee Highway Patrol announces lowest traffic fatalities in 48 years
- Leave a comment
- Posted under police
