Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and Police Chief Sterling Owen announced traffic enforcement plans for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The specialized enforcement effort will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 21, 2007, and continue until Midnight on Sunday, November 25, 2007.

The Thanksgiving holiday is traditionally the most traveled holiday of the year. Knoxville Police Department officers will focus on reducing the speed of motorists and removing drivers who are driving while impaired. Motorists who are driving recklessly or who are driving unrestrained can also expect to receive attention from officers.

Chief Owen said, "When you reduce motorists' speed you also reduce the number of crashes that can occur. That in turn will reduce the number of injuries and possible fatalities that could happen if speeding was left unchecked by the officers." During the 104 hour-long Thanksgiving enforcement campaign in 2006, officers issued 1,342 driving related citations. Out of the 1,342 citations, 61 motorists were cited for not wearing a seatbelt. An additional 5 motorists were cited for violating the child restraint law. One hundred and thirty-two (132) motorists were caught either driving on a suspended license, a revoked license or driving with no license at all. Officers also arrested 21 motorists for driving under the influence (DUI). One fatality occurred during this time period when a pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle on Kingston Pike.

"Our officers worked extremely hard last year to reduce the speed of motorists and to remove those drivers who were driving while impaired," said Chief Owen.

"This year we will be just as committed in making the streets of Knoxville as safe as possible for all citizens during the holiday season," Chief Owen concluded.