Where are Middle Tennessee’s 4th of July sobriety checkpoints going to be?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), along with several other law enforcement agencies across Middle Tennessee, are cracking down on drunk driving for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

On Friday, June 28, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) announced that traffic division officers would work with THP and the Tennessee Highway Safety Office to conduct a sobriety checkpoint on the night of July 4. That checkpoint will be located on Charlotte Pike near Morrow Road.

MNPD added that in 2023, there were over 1,000 crashes in Davidson County that involved impaired drivers. Those incidents ultimately resulted in 40 deaths.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that between 2018 and 2022, there were more than 2,000 crash fatalities during the weekend of July 4 alone. Over 1,400 of those fatalities were drivers themselves, nearly half of whom were inebriated.

Some agencies, like the Franklin Police Department (FPD), started their DUI enforcement initiatives long before the weekend got started. As of Thursday, June 27, extra officers have been patrolling the streets. In addition to extra patrol, the agency has erected several electronic message boards in high-traffic areas warning against the dangers of drinking and driving.

“The Franklin Police Department has zero tolerance for impaired driving on our streets,” said Franklin Police Chief Deb Faulkner. “If you’re going to drink and drive in the city of Franklin, chances are that you will wind up behind bars, in a hospital bed, or even worse.”

THP has published a full list of checkpoint locations for the month of July, with several falling over the course of the weekend. The vast majority of these will be sobriety checkpoints.

On July 5, the THP has planned sobriety checkpoints at the following locations:

• Wilson County: US Highway 231 @ LoJac 2147
• Stewart County: Highway 232 @ Old Highway 76
• Smith County: State Route 80 @ Mile Marker 2
• Putnam County: State Route 56 @ the Jackson County Line
• Macon County: Highway 52 @ Oakdale Road
• Giles County: U.S. Highway 31 @ Mile Marker 14
• Wayne County: State Route 13 North @ U.S. 64 Underpass

The holiday weekend falls during Tennessee’s 100 deadliest days , which start on Memorial Day weekend and run through Labor Day. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half of teen driver-related deaths occur during the 100 deadliest days.

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But the roads aren’t the only places where you may see an increased patrol.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) is also participating in Operation Dry Water — a year-round boating-under-the-influence (BUI) prevention and enforcement campaign that started in 2009. That campaign is the result of a partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Even though the operation is enforced throughout the year and throughout the country, the TWRA said that the agency will be on “heightened alert” for BUI infractions. They added that boaters will see an increase in officer patrols on waterways.

“Boating under the influence is a 100 percent  preventable crime that will not be tolerated by wildlife officers” said Lt. Col. Matt Majors of TWRA’s Boating and Law Enforcement Division. “It is very selfish and irresponsible to endanger your life or the safety of others by consuming alcohol or drugs and operating a boat in Tennessee.”

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BUI penalties may include fines, jail time, boat impoundment or the loss of boat driving privileges.

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