NASHVILLE --- Preliminary figures from the Tennessee Department of Safety show seven people were killed in traffic crashes on Tennessee roadways during the 78-hour Memorial Day holiday period. This is a drop from the 13 fatalities that occurred during the 2008 Memorial Day holiday weekend and 21 deaths in 2007.

 

“These numbers are still preliminary, but we are happy to see a decline in the number of fatalities over the long weekend,” said Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell. “We held nearly 80 checkpoints across the state, and, even though the holiday is over, State Troopers will continue to work hard enforcing the rules of the road and saving lives.”

 

During the 2009 Memorial Day holiday, which ran from 6:00 p.m., Friday, May 22 through midnight Monday, May 25, there were six fatal crashes that resulted in seven fatalities. Five of the people killed were vehicle occupants. One motorcyclist and one pedestrian were also killed.

 

“It is important to point out that none of the fatalities occurred in alcohol-related crashes. However, four of the five people killed in vehicle crashes over the weekend were not wearing their seat belt,” stated Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Mike Walker. “Wearing your seat belt is the single, most effective way you can protect yourself in a crash. How many of those victims would still be here today if they had taken a few seconds to just buckle up?”

 

The THP has teamed up with law enforcement officers from across the state and around the country for the national Click It or Ticket campaign. The initiative kicked off last week and runs through the end of the month.   According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2007, more than 14,000 people in passenger vehicles were killed in crashes while unbelted in the United States. About half of those lives could have been saved if they had been wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.