CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (Clarksvillenow.com) The Clarksville Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Kentucky State Police, Christian County Sheriff’s Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Hopkinsville Police Department and Oak Grove Police Department will be conducting roadside safety checkpoints and saturation patrols on Friday, May 20th, 2016 and Saturday, May 21st.
The checkpoints will take place in Montgomery County and Christian County. The locations of the checkpoints will be on U.S. 41-A near the state line. Saturation Patrols will be on U.S. 41-A, Tenn. State Routes 374 & 236, Ky. State Routes 400, 115 & 911.
Troopers, Deputies, & Officers will also be out in force doing D.U.I. Saturation Patrols. Impaired driving is a serious crime that kills more than 16,000 people and injures 305,000 others every year in the United States. Troopers, Deputies, & Officers will evaluate drivers for signs of alcohol impairment.
They will target those who operate a vehicle while impaired and take corrective actions for other violations observed while ensuring the protection of all motorists. Law enforcement agencies involved recognize that Sobriety Checkpoints are highly visible and effective tools in the battle against impaired driving.
The checkpoint is being named the Tyler J. Head Memorial Checkpoint. Tyler was killed in Clarksville on February 3, 2012 when his vehicle was hit head-on by an impaired driver on Madison Street. Tyler’s mother, Gina, spoke at a press conference on Friday, May 20 and talked about the loss of her son.
“Tyler was killed by a man who had a combination of drugs, alcohol and sleep deprivation. The choices that he made, two to three days before he came across three lanes of traffic and hit Tyler head on, has devastated our family, and took an innocent life that had so much to give to society,” Head said.
Head added, that she is asking ask that people make choices that do not devastate the lives of others, and also their life. She asked that people don’t drink and drive, don’t drive sleep deprived and not to drive impaired by drugs whether they are prescription or illegal.
The Checkpoints and Saturation Patrol is being partially funded by the Tennessee Highway Safety Office.