KPD e-News Release: K.P.D. Increasing Impaired-Driving Enforcement During Christmas and New Year’s Day Holiday Season

	Kingsport Police Department David Quillin, Chief of Police 200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660 http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com
NEWS RELEASE
SUBJECT:		K.P.D. Increasing Impaired-Driving Enforcement During Christmas and New Year’s Day Holiday Season
DATE:		December 17, 2018

GENERAL NARRATIVE
The Kingsport Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) to increase impaired-driving enforcement from December 14, 2018 through January 1, 2019, surrounding the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday season. The THSO’s statewide “Booze It and Lose It” campaign is part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” nationwide mobilization. The Kingsport Police Department continues to stress that Tennessee D.U.I. laws apply not just to alcohol, but to any substance that impairs the ability to drive, including illegal drugs, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, as well as prescription drugs, even if they are prescribed by a physician. Increased state and national messaging about the dangers of drunk driving, coupled with increased sobriety checkpoints and high visibility enforcement at the local level, aim to drastically reduce the number of drunk-driving crashes, injuries, and fatalities this year. “We ask all Tennesseans to please drive safely this holiday season,” said THSO Director Vic Donoho. “Our state and local law enforcement partners will be out in full force to secure Tennessee roadways. We want everyone to make it home safely, so please designate a sober driver.” Beyond the risk of serious injury or death associated with impaired driving, being convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs can negatively impact an offender’s life in many ways. Consequences could include the loss of employment, prevention of employment in certain jobs, significantly higher insurance rates, serious financial setbacks due to costly fines, court costs, and legal fees, personal and family embarrassment, the installation of an ignition interlock device in the offender’s vehicle, and mandatory jail time. The THSO provides grant funding to support the Kingsport Police Department’s increased enforcement efforts during the Booze It and Lose It holiday campaign. For more information about the THSO, please visit www.TNTrafficSafety.org. For more information about the NHTSA, please visit www.NHTSA.gov.