Highway Patrol on high alert this Labor Day weekend

JACKSON, Tenn. — This holiday weekend is anything but restful for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Troopers are working overtime to make sure travelers stay safe over the long weekend, and they want to make it clear reckless driving and driving under the influence will not be tolerated.

“Everybody’s trying to do so much in one weekend or one day that sometimes they don’t pay attention to a lot of the things they normally would pay attention to…seat belts for number one,” Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Brad Wilbanks said.

Not wearing a seat belt, being distracted or driving under the influence are just a few violations troopers are looking out for.

“We just cant tolerate drunk driving or distracted driving,” Wilbanks said. “Distracted driving has become such an issue, and its so dangerous. Everybody’s got a cell pone now.”

During labor day last year there were 14 fatal crashes on Tennessee roadways. Alcohol was a factor in six of them and more than half of those killed weren’t buckled in.

“So many people think well they are not traveling were far, so they wont buckle up,” Wilbanks said. “A lot of crashes happen so close to home, and you throw in the factor of people trying to drink and that kind of stuff. You just cant do it and drive.”

Seat belts aren’t the only thing on troopers checklist. License and sobriety checkpoints are also planned to keep others safe.

“The safe legal driver,” Wilbanks said. “That’s one less person that there’s a chance they can have a crash with or be killed by.”

As of the end of August THP says 656 people have died on state roadways. That’s an 8% increase compared to this time in 2015.