The UTHSC Campus Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) for its “Booze It and Lose It” campaign through September 3, surrounding the Labor Day holiday. This initiative coincides with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” mobilization increasing enforcement as a deterrent to impaired driving nationwide.
“Labor Day is a public holiday celebrated to honor the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country,” UTHSC Campus Police Chief Anthony Berryhill said. “It is befitting for UTHSC Police to partner with THSO in keeping the spirit of this holiday by maintaining its strength, prosperity, and more importantly, the well-being of our local community within the Medical District. Our purpose during this campaign is not to ticket or arrest, but to continue to educate travelers about the dangers of impaired and reckless driving.”
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.
The consequences of a single DUI conviction for a first-time offender in the state of 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 his/her vehicle.
The THSO provides grant funding to support UTHSC’s increased enforcement efforts during the Booze It and Lose It campaign.