TENNESSEE COMBINED MESSAGING

DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

MORE COPS. MORE STOPS.

SAMPLE OP-ED (333 words)

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More Cops. More Stops. On Tennessee’s Roadways to Save Lives

The statistics are glaring, yet many people knowingly break the law every day, putting their lives and the lives of others at risk on Tennessee’s roadways.

More than 700 passenger vehicle occupants were killed in Tennessee highway crashes in 2010. Fifty-eight percent were NOT wearing their seat belts.

Data in 2010 also shows 27 percent of Tennessee’s fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes involved an alcohol impaired driver and 22 percent involved speeding.

Pair these numbers with the fact that distracted driving crashes claimed nearly 3,100 lives and led to an estimated 419,000 people injured nationally in 2010, and it’s clear that we must strongly remind more Tennesseans about our most basic and important highway safety laws, so we can save more lives across Tennessee and the nation.

That’s why during April, we will be stepping up our enforcement efforts. [Local Law Enforcement Organization] will be on the look-out for those who don’t obey our laws, and we will be cracking down on ALL traffic safety violations. Drivers, who are caught drinking and driving, don’t buckle up, who text while driving, or don’t obey the speed limits, will be pulled over and will be ticketed or arrested.

This More Cops. More Stops. campaign is being implemented in two states in the nation, and Tennessee is pleased to be one of them. [Local Law Enforcement Organization] is teaming with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on this important national demonstration project to test the effectiveness of a new combined high visibility enforcement campaign.

So please make sure you drive safely and obey traffic laws, for your safety and the safety of others. [Local Law Enforcement Organization] will be out in force with More Cops. More Stops. to crack down on those who are breaking the law on our roadways. But by working together, we know we can prevent tragic crashes and save even more lives on our roadways.

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