Smithville Police Department Sponsors Display To Help Prevent Drunk Driving

Smithville Police Chief Thomas Stufano says the residents and merchants of the City of Smithville are serious about the ill effects of Driving Under the Influence.
In a current campaign Smithville Police in cooperation with the Dekalb County School Board and the Tennessee Governor?s Highway Traffic Safety Office are promoting the ill effects of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) by placing an illustration vehicle involved in a serious accident in the Food Lion parking lot and at DeKalb County High School. This promotion also includes corporate sponsors including DeKalb Tire and Service, Bradley Printing Company, the Movie Gallery and Food Lion.
Chief Stufano says the campaign is to promote safe driving practices specifically DUI and aligns with the annual Dekalb High School graduation and prom festivities in April. Smithville Police have made over (74) DUI arrests in the last year within the city limits and have been awarded a government Traffic Enforcement Grant to cover overtime for extra patrols. He says “The City leadership is committed to the program with the Police Department having recently appointed Officer Mac Judkins as the department?s Traffic Enforcement Officer.”
In the current ?Booze It & Lose It? program administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Tennessee Governor?s Highway Safety Office, flyers are being distributed advising that:
?A first-time DUI conviction will take your license away for an entire year.In addition, a first-time DUI conviction will put you in the county jail or workhouse for at least 48 hours.
?The average American has a 30% chance of being killed or injured by a drunk driver in his or her lifetime.
?Someone dies from an alcohol-related crash every 33 minutes and someone is injured every two minutes.
?A DUI driver on the average drives their vehicle 80 times a year DUI
Chief Stufano says “Smithville Police are grateful to the residents and merchants of Smithville for their active participation in calling in suspicious activity and drunk driving. It is everyone?s business to help identify those that are senselessly hurting our love ones when they elect to drink and drive.”