The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) will conduct a high-visibility enforcement campaign during this year’s Fourth of July holiday period, which began Wednesday and will end at  midnight on Sunday, July 6.  State troopers will utilize a variety of traffic safety tools, such as driver’s license, sobriety and seat belt checkpoints, saturation patrols, and “No Refusal” enforcement, in an effort to reduce serious injury and fatal crashes on Tennessee roadways.

In 2013, 19 people were killed in 15 fatal crashes in Tennessee during the 102-hour holiday period. That’s down from 21 vehicular fatalities during the 2012 Fourth of July period. Of the 19 traffic fatalities last year, five (26.3%) were alcohol-related and 13 (86.7%) were not wearing safety restraints, including one child passenger. One all-terrain vehicle (ATV) rider also died during the holiday period During the first six months of 2014, preliminary statistics show that 52 percent of traffic fatalities were unrestrained motorists and 77 vehicular deaths (17.5 %) involved an alcohol-impaired driver.

Two counties in middle Tennessee, specifically Bedford and Rutherford Counties, have been designated “No Refusal” areas during the Fourth of July holiday period. “No Refusal” permits law enforcement officials to seek search warrants for blood samples in cases involving suspected impaired drivers. THP District Captains have selected those counties based on an increase in crashes, DUI-related, injury or fatal.

As of July 1, preliminary statistics indicate 441 people have died on Tennessee roadways, a decrease of 17 deaths compared to 458 fatalities at this same time in 2013.

In Murfreesboro, the Tennessee Highway Patrol will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint.

Again, that checkpoint will be in Murfreesboro on Broad Street one mile East of State Route 840. That is near Bumpus Harley Davidson.