THP kicks off special enforcement campaigns

From Staff Reports

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is kicking off two special enforcement campaigns aimed at areas known for dangerous driving, including part of U.S. Highway 129 in Blount County.

Thanks to funding provided through the Governor’s Highway Safety Office, troopers will be cracking down on drivers who break the law on a deadly stretch of U.S. Highway 129 in Blount County known as “Deals Gap,” as well as in the Shady Valley area of Johnson County.

“A similar initiative conducted along Deals Gap last year resulted in a decrease in deadly crashes,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell in a THP release. “Rigorous enforcement programs are effective, and our goal is always to protect the motoring public and save lives.”

During the four months troopers participated in the Deals Gap/Blount County Enforcement Initiative, the calls for University of Tennessee Medical Center Lifestar helicopters dropped 99 percent, according to information from THP. The same campaign will be conducted this year using a $75,000 grant from GHSO.

“The Governor’s Highway Safety Office is happy to once again partner with the Tennessee Highway Patrol,” said GHSO Director Kendell Poole in the release. “These funds will allow troopers to work extra hours on the weekends, and this increased enforcement will undoubtedly help reduce bodily injury crashes and ultimately save lives.”

THP Colonel Mike Walker hopes a similar enforcement campaign in the Shady Valley area of Johnson County will produce the same results.

Walker said in the release, “Troopers will be out in force looking for any vehicle that violates the law and makes the roadway unsafe. We applaud the Governor’s Highway Safety Office for providing the grant money to enable THP to step up enforcement and deter dangerous activities.”

A $36,000 grant from the GHSO will be utilized to fund overtime for troopers each weekend during the Johnson County enforcement initiative.
Both programs will be conducted through the fall.