Tennessee launches third statewide tour to crack down on distracted driving

JACKSON, Tenn. — Last year, there were over 24,000 crashes statewide due to distracted driving, with 120 of those being fatal.

“Everything can be a distraction, whether you’re talking to other passengers in the vehicle or you’re reaching behind,” Tennessee Highway Safety Office Public Information Officer Arriale Tabson said.

The Tennessee Highway Safety Office along with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, local law enforcement and other agencies collaborated in putting together the third Distracted Driving Enforcement Tour, starting from the Jackson-Madison County Health Department.

“That’s what’s more important,” Tabson said. “We want to identify those drivers that have those high-risk behaviors where it’s more likely they’re going to crash.”

Together they hope to bring awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, which means a lot to Jackson-Madison County Health Department Administrative Services Director Pam Redmond, who lost her son to distracted driving in 2016.

“In a tiny fraction of a second, someone took his life away,” Redmond said. “He told the officer at the scene that he only looked away for a moment, but the moment was long enough to take away my son’s life.”

They got a little creative in ways to crack down on distracted drivers.

“We’ve decided to use unmarked passenger vans this time,” Tabson said. “They’re a little bit smaller, they are more discreet and they’re more efficient on the highway.”

This Distracted Driving Enforcement event will run statewide until Thursday, April 5, with the goal of decreasing traffic fatalities.