THP Joins Georgia for Hands Across the Border Enforcement

SOBRIETY CHECKPOINT PLANNED ACROSS STATE LINE

Nashville, Tennessee --- The Tennessee Highway Patrol is teaming with the Georgia State Police to send a strong message that officers from both states will be on the look-out for impaired drivers this week.  The agencies will hold a Hands Across the Border sobriety checkpoint Wednesday evening on Rossville Boulevard at the Georgia/Tennessee state line.  The following morning, officers from both organizations will hold a joint news conference.  The event is schedule for Thursday, August 28, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., at the Georgia Welcome Center on Interstate 75 near the state line.

The Hands Across the Border initiative creates an outstanding opportunity for law enforcement officers to work together to strictly enforce driving laws in a seamless effort from state-to-state.  This collaboration is aimed at saving lives during the busy summer travel season.

“The Tennessee Highway Patrol is proud to be working with the Georgia State Police. Our mission is the same - to save lives and keep the roads safe,” stated THP Colonel Mike Walker. “We will always be more successful at that when we work as a team.”

The Hands Across the Border event coincides with a national traffic safety campaign THP is currently enforcing.  It is called “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.”  Tennessee State Troopers are working with law enforcement officers from across the country during the initiative, which runs through the Labor Day holiday.  THP Troopers are conducting saturation patrols and sobriety and driver license checkpoints targeting impaired drivers and reduce roadway fatalities. 

Seventeen people were killed on Tennessee roadways during the 2007 Labor Day holiday weekend. Of the 17 fatal crashes, 11 victims were not wearing a safety belt.  Seven of the fatalities occurred in alcohol-related crashes, up from six in 2006.