Troopers increase patrols, stationed every 20 miles of I-40
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JACKSON, Tenn. — Holiday travel means busier roads. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said it is adding more patrol cars to Interstate 40 for its second “Interstate 40 Challenge: The Drive to Zero Fatalities.” “The I-40 Challenge runs the entire length of the interstate system from California to North Carolina. You should see a state trooper at least every 20 miles,” Lt. Brad Wilbanks with the THP said. Tennessee has more miles of the interstate than any other state in the U.S. with a total of 455 miles, according to a release from the THP. One driver traveling from California to Virginia during the holiday said she has noticed extra congestion. “It’s a little busy due to the people going for the holidays, and they have a lot of roadwork and stuff like that. So traveling during the week, it’s busy,” the driver said. She said she has logged 41 hours behind the wheel over the past three days. “Even though you stop and sleep, it’s still like, ‘ugh! I’m back at it,'” she said. Wilbanks said sleepy drivers also can be a holiday road hazard. “This whole holiday weekend you’ve got the people out late at night shopping that aren’t used to being up those hours,” he said. Wilbanks said troopers will be looking for several different violations over the next five days, including speeding, aggressive driving, distracted driving and drunk driving. With more traffic on the road, the whole goal with the Interstate 40 Challenge is to have zero driver fatalities. Wilbanks said if you get pulled over, do not assume you will just get a warning because it is the holidays. “I can tell you from experience, it’s dangerous on that interstate,” Wilbanks said. “I can’t see putting myself at risk for a warning. We’re giving you the warning now.” Last year during the challenge, the THP said it gave out 69 seat belt citations and investigated 29 crashes the day before Thanksgiving. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, they reported 36 wrecks and issued 18 seat belt tickets. There were zero fatalities during the 2013 challenge.
