TN.gov Newsroom

 

NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Department of Safety (TDOS) and the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) encourage drivers to participate in Lights on for Life Day on Friday, December 18th.

 

NASHVILLE --- Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In 2008, 327 people died in highway crashes in Tennessee involving a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. That’s an 11 percent decline from the 377 alcohol-related deaths in 2007. As part of National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month, the Tennessee Highway Patrol will be stepping up its enforcement crackdown to find and remove impaired drivers from Tennessee roadways.  Troopers will be conducting more than 100 sobriety and driver license checkpoints now through the New Year’s holiday to get drunk drivers off the road.

NASHVILLE --- At approximately 12:10 p.m. CST, Trooper Wendall Reagan, 42, was traveling east on I-40 in his SUV patrol unit when he was involved in a one vehicle roll over crash in the median at mile marker 228.

 

Trooper Reagan was transported by Wilson County Emergency Services (WEMA) to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in critical condition.   THP Investigators in the Nashville District and with the THP Critical Incident Response Team (C.I.R.T.) responded to the scene and are investigating the crash.   Investigators are asking anyone in the area who may have witnessed a white Chevy Suburban or GMC Yukon that initially pulled over then left the scene of the crash to contact the THP. Investigators do not believe the white vehicle was involved but may have witnessed the crash.

NASHVILLE --- Governor Phil Bredesen today announced that Tennessee has been awarded more than $30 million in federal Homeland Security Grant Funds for fiscal year 2010. The grants will be distributed to Tennessee’s 11 Homeland Security Districts.

 

NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Department of Safety joins the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), and other highway safety groups in promoting Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, December 6-12, 2009.

 

NASHVILLE ---The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) encourages Tennesseans to support C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors) this holiday season by displaying a blue light in your home or office window.

 

A blue light, candle or holiday decoration honors and remembers those law enforcement officers who have given their lives in service to their profession and thanks those who continue to work America’s dangerous streets and highways every day of the year.

 

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Department of Transportation Governor’s Highway Safety Office Director Kendell Poole joined numerous state and local law enforcement agencies and safety advocates today to remind Tennesseans about the dangers of driving impaired this holiday season. 

 

As a visual reminder of the severe result of impaired driving, 327 teddy bears lined the lobby of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in remembrance of those killed in alcohol related crashes in 2008. After the ceremony the bears were given to Tennessee Child Passenger Safety Centers where they will be distributed to needy children.

 

NASHVILLE --- Preliminary reports indicate seven people were killed during the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday weekend, compared to 10 fatalities during last year’s Thanksgiving holiday. Statistics for the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday reflect the time period from 6:00 p.m., Wednesday November 25, 2009, to midnight Sunday, November 29, 2009.

 

NASHVILLE --- On Friday, November 20, 2009, United States Attorney for the Middle Tennessee District of Tennessee, Edward M. Yarbrough, announced that a federal jury convicted James Christopher McWhorter, 30, of Antioch, Tennessee on a five count indictment, stemming from a federal investigation into a counterfeit check cashing ring.

NASHVILLE--- The Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will deliver the “Between the Barrels” presentation to 1,250 high school students at Centennial High School, Tuesday, November 24, 2009. The safe driving program, which is geared to students who are just learning to drive, aims to reduce the chances of teens being involved in a dangerous work zone crash.