Sevierville Police Increasing DUI Enforcement with Booze It and Lose It Campaign

The Sevierville Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office to step up DUI enforcement from August 19 to September 7, 2015, surrounding the Labor Day holiday.

The statewide Booze It and Lose It campaign is part of a national mobilization to prevent drunk driving.

Tennessee experienced 6,645 known alcohol-related crashes in 2014. That equates to an average of 18 people each day making the decision to get behind the wheel after they have been drinking.

“Too many people think their actions don’t affect anybody else,” said SPD Chief Don Myers.  “They know it’s illegal. They know it’s wrong. But they do it anyway – they make decisions as if those statistics just can’t happen to them.”

Increased state and national messaging about the dangers of driving drunk, coupled with checkpoints and increased officers on the road, aim to drastically reduce the toll of drunk driving.

“Anyone can tell you that it is unsafe to drink and drive. However, we still lose hundreds of Tennesseans each year due to this behavior,” said Governor’s Highway Safety Office Director Kendell Poole. “Our law enforcement partners will be out in full force looking for drivers under the influence of alcohol, and they will arrest you.”

A single DUI conviction can cost an individual $5,000 or more in addition to jail time. Offenders could also be required to attend drug and alcohol treatment or to install an ignition interlock device in their vehicle.

For more information on traffic safety and the Booze It and Lose It campaign, visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.