The holidays are upon us, and as we do every year, we like to remind our clients about the dangers of drinking and driving. If you are planning to attend events where alcohol is involved, make sure that you have a designated driver arranged in advance, or plan to call an Uber or Lyft to take you home safely. Be sure to set up the app before you leave and make sure that the ridesharing service you plan to use serves the location where the event is being held. There are other transportation options in Nashville if you plan to include drinking in your holiday festivities.

Tennessee drunk driving statistics

While the national numbers for drunk driving traffic fatalities have decreased over the last few years, Tennessee saw an increase in the number of drunk driving deaths from 2016 (223 traffic fatalities) to 2017 (348 deaths).

Clever anti-drunk driving marketing slogans

The Tennessee Highway Safety Office is determined to dissuade you from drinking and driving during the holiday season with the following “catchy” reminders of what a bad idea it is to do it:

• Booze it & lose it. Lose your license, your freedom, your life.
• In December 2015, Drunk driving crashes resulted in 840 deaths. So much for Happy Holidays.
• Don’t wreck the holidays. Over a five-year period, almost 4,000 people died in drunk driving crashes during December
• In December 2015, fatal crashes involving drunk drivers were almost 4X higher at night than during the day. Tuck yourself in for a safe holiday. Don’t drive drunk.

Although the holiday season between Christmas and New Year’s Eve does not have as many DUI arrests as, say, the 4th of July, it is a time when law enforcement increases its efforts to deter drunk driving. DUI checkpoints are scheduled and heavily patrolled to keep the roadways safe from those who are determined to drive drunk and put themselves and other drivers and pedestrians in danger.

New Year’s Eve sobriety checkpoint

The Tennessee Highway Patrol conducts sobriety checkpoints throughout the year, and we have every reason to expect that they will do so this year, too. For the last few years, the THP has conducted these checkpoints near Rt. 840 and/or Broad Street in Murfreesboro, though this year’s update has not yet been released. By law, these checkpoints must be published. You can check the TN Department of Safety & Homeland Security website for updates.

The Nashville car accident lawyers at the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm want you to have a safe and joyous holiday season. If you are injured, we fight for your right to recover compensation. To speak with an experienced attorney who will offer legal guidance, you may call us at 615-246-5549 or complete our contact form. Our attorneys are based in Nashville, Hendersonville, and Knoxville, and serve clients throughout Tennessee.