The Campus Police Department at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) for its “Booze It and Lose It” campaign through September 6, surrounding the Labor Day holiday. This initiative coincides with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” mobilization to increase impaired driving enforcement nationwide.
Increased state and national messaging about the dangers of drunk driving, coupled with increased sobriety checkpoints and high visibility enforcement, aim to drastically reduce the number of drunk driving crashes, injuries, and fatalities this year.
“We are committed to serving the campus community and ensuring their safety,” said UTHSC Campus Police Lieutenant Joanne Morrow. “During this initiative, we will provide additional traffic enforcement and patrols within the Medical District. To avoid the risk of an arrest, a motor vehicle crash, or possibly taking someone’s life, we encourage drivers who plan on drinking to plan ahead and have a designated driver. Remember, don’t drink and drive. Your family and friends want to see you alive.”
The consequences of a single DUI conviction for a first-time offender in Tennessee may include costly fines, court costs, legal fees, jail time, mandatory drug and alcohol treatment, and/or the installation of an ignition interlock device in the vehicle.
The THSO provides grant funding to support the UTHSC Campus Police Department’s increased enforcement efforts during the Booze It and Lose It campaign. For more information about the THSO, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.