It’s been a rough year for a lot of people, so nobody can blame you if you want to relax from time to time with a few drinks. Just don’t get behind the wheel of your vehicle after you do.
This is a particularly bad time to take any risks, even if you think that you’re sober enough to drive. The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) is partnering with the statewide “Booze It and Lost it” campaign that runs from Aug. 21 to Sept. 7 this year. That program will run simultaneously alongside the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
Catchy slogans aside, these campaigns mean business. There will be a lot of officers working overtime to try to remove impaired drivers from the roads. While someone who is obviously drunk behind the wheel will always be an important part of drunk driving enforcement efforts, these campaigns have a different target in mind: drivers who are “buzzed.”. As one local police department noted in its press release, “Buzzed driving is drunk driving.”
Tennessee’s laws are particularly harsh on drunk drivers. If you’re convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you can face a year-long suspension of your license, fines, mandatory alcohol and drug treatment, the loss of your vehicle and the imposition of an ignition interlock device. Even first-time offenders are required to serve a minimum of 48 hours in jail.
If you’re facing charges, get experienced legal assistance right away. No matter what evidence the police say that they have against you, don’t assume that your case is hopeless.