Troopers urge caution for holiday travelers

Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 9:02 pm
By: NASHVILLE

NASHVILLE — Highway travel during the 2009 Thanks-giving holiday week is expected to be heavy in Tennessee as families pile into their cars and head off for holiday destinations. But there’s one sure recipe that can turn a joyful holiday into a tragedy — failure to buckle up.
State troopers will be patrolling Tennessee interstates and highways looking for drivers and passengers who are not wearing their seat belts. The message to travelers: “Click It or Ticket.”
The 2009 Thanksgiving holiday period begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday and runs through midnight Sunday.
“Seat belts are the single most important safety device in your vehicle and they have saved countless lives and prevented untold numbers of injuries over the years,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell. “TDOS urges everyone driving on our state’s roads this holiday to drive carefully, don’t drive impaired and, most important, buckle up each and every trip, night and day.”
Although safety belt usage climbed to 81.5 percent in 2008, more than 50 percent of people killed in Tennessee traffic crashes were not wearing a safety belt.
Research shows that it’s almost nine times safer to wear your safety belt every time you get in the car.
“If you are planning to travel by car to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends, make sure you and everyone riding with you buckles your seat belts,” THP Col. Mike Walker said. “Whether you’re traveling across town, or across the state, if you or anyone in your vehicle is unbelted you run the risk of getting a little holiday present from a state trooper or local law enforcement officer.”
Ten people were killed in crashes on Tennessee roads during the 2008 Thanksgiving holiday weekend (102-hour holiday period). That is a decrease from 2007 when 13 people died and 20 fatalities in 2006. But six of the eight vehicle occupants who were killed during the 2008 Thanksgiving holiday weekend were not wearing safety restraints. Statistics for the 2008 Thanksgiving holiday period are included with this release along with a list of sobriety and driver license checkpoints scheduled throughout the holiday weekend.
Nighttime is the most dangerous time on the road because seat belt use is lower. Of the 231 passenger vehicle occupant deaths nationwide in motor vehicle crashes at night during the 2008 Thanksgiving holiday period over two thirds — 67 percent — did not have their seat belts fastened, while 40 percent of fatalities in daytime crashes were not wearing seat belts.
“If you fail to buckle up during this holiday period, you run the risk of getting a ticket, or worse, getting killed or injured,” said GHSO director Kendell Poole. “Make sure the only belt left unbuckled this Thanksgiving is the one at the dinner table, not the one in your vehicle.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, regular seat belts use is the single most effective way to protect passengers and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. Research has shown that when lap and shoulder belts are used properly, the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate to serious injury is reduced by 50 percent.
In 2008, there were 1,043 traffic fatalities in Tennessee, down nearly 14 percent from 1,211 fatalities in 2007. As of Nov. 20, preliminary statistics indicate that 829 people have died on Tennessee roadways, a decline of 99 deaths compared to 928 fatalities at this same time a year ago.
Published in The Messenger 11.24.09