FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Contact: Arriale Tabson
Office: 615-253-5152
Tennessee Highway Safety Office Joined Maury County to Address High Traffic Injuries and Fatalities
Maury County’s Current Traffic Fatalities Number Quadruples 2015 Total
MAURY COUNTY – On Monday, August 1, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) joined Maury County law enforcement partners to host a press conference to address the area’s recent spike in traffic injuries and fatalities.
"As a society, we seem to accept traffic fatalities,” said Captain Wayne Sellers of Tennessee Highway Patrol's District 7. “However, if we had 14 murders at this point in the year in Maury County, citizens would be at home with the doors locked and somewhat afraid to go about their daily lives. I have a simple question: How many fatalities are acceptable among your family and friends?"
According to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s TITAN Division, since January 2016, there have been 1,554 traffic crashes in Maury County. Of that number, 1,158 crashes included property damage, 384 included injuries, and 13 were fatal. The number of year-to-date (YTD) fatalities of 13 in 2016, greatly surpasses the three YTD traffic fatalities reported in 2015.
“We intend to treat traffic crashes and irresponsible driving the same as we would any other crime,” said Tony Burnett, Law Enforcement Liaison for the Tennessee Highway Safety Office.
THSO, THP, Columbia Police Department, and Maury County Sheriff’s Department announced their collaborative effort to increase enforcement throughout August. This operation is intended to encourage voluntary compliance with traffic safety laws through high visibility and multi-jurisdictional initiatives.
To access video footage of the full press event, visit https://youtu.be/HiB3tn8qHEI.
About the Tennessee Highway Safety Office:
The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) is Tennessee's advocate for traffic safety. THSO works in tandem with the National Highway Safety Administration to implement statewide programs addressing occupant protection, impaired driving, speed enforcement, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and crash data collection and analysis. Programs administered by THSO are 100 percent federally funded. THSO’s mission is to effectively develop, implement and evaluate these programs. To learn more about the Tennessee Highway Safety Office, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.
For more information, contact Arriale Tabson at 615-253-5152 or arriale.tabson@tn.gov