PYRA, synthetic drug causes crash

A teen driver and passenger were trapped in their vehicle after crashing into a building. Officers saved them after the truck caught fire. The teens were stoned on a synthetic drug, Pyra, according to the news article in the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle, which you can read here:
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20111114/NEWS01/111114005/Teenager-cited-crash-involving-synthetic-drugs?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Vehicular homicide trial in Maryville

A vehicular homicide trial has begun in Maryville with Prosecutor Ryan Desmond representing the State. Read about it in the Maryville Daily Times at:

http://www.thedailytimes.com/Local_News/story/Vehicular-homicide-trial-goes-to-jury-id-017536

8th offender with .19 gets reversal from CCA

James Moates, a McMinn County man with 7 prior DUI convictions was in his truck, drunk at 2:00 a.m in a store parking lot. The store was closed and had "no loitering" signs in the lot. Etowah police Sgt Bige saw the truck with it's lights on stopped in the lot. She drove past, but saw it there again five minutes later. She pulled in to investigate. She activated her blue lights and approached the truck. She found the drunken Moates with a .19 BAC.

The trial court ruled that an officer can approach any vehicle in such a situation to investigate. The Court of Criminal Appeals decided otherwise. Following the precedent of State Williams,185 S.W3d 311, 314 (Tenn. 2006), the Court ruled that the defendant was incorrectly seized and the case had to be dismissed.

Maybe, this case will be appealed to the Supreme Court, so they can revisit Williams and fix this nonsense. If the driver in the parked truck had suffered a stroke or heart attack and the officer passed him by due to the Williams case, what would people think about the officer? This is the type of decision that demoralizes officers, victims and citizens and makes them think the judicial system is in need of some common sense.

Read the case at: http://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/moatsjamesdavidopn.pdf

Game score effects drunk driving

The Journal of Consumer Research has published a study that indicates that there is an increase in impaired driving and aggressive driving when a sporting event ends with a close score. The greatest dangers are in the county of the sporting event and the county of the winning team.
The authors indicate that the dangerous effects from close games is associated with testerone and alcohol. They suggest a cooling down period for fans to lessen aggressive driving.
Read more at:

http://www.jstor.org/pss/10.1086/660164

Sober Tennessee

According to a recent study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA), Tennessee is ranked 4th in the nation as Most Sober States.

Alcohol purchased per person in Tennessee in 2007 amounted to:
28 gallons, broken down as 200.9 cans of beer, 7.9 bottles of wine and 1.4 gallons of spirits.

We were behind Utah, Kentucky and Arkansas.

The Drunkest States were: New Hampshire, Nevada, the District of Columbia, Montana and Wisconsin.
New Hampshire has long cold winters and mud season. Nevada has Vegas. D.C. has politicians and lobbyists, Montana is too dang cold and Wisconsin has Milwaukee. No suprises there!

New Ignition Interlock law in Oklahoma

In an attempt to keep drunken drivers off the road, first-time driving-under-the-influence offenders will be required to have an interlocking ignition device installed on their vehicle under a law that takes effect Tuesday.

Read more: http://newsok.com/stronger-dui-law-starts-tuesday-in-oklahoma/article/3618537#ixzz1cb1OiViB

Fewer traffic fatalities this October

The Daily traffic fatality report indicates 71 people died on our roads in October compared to 95 last year. That is the largest one month reduction this year compared to last year. So far, there have been about 115 fewer fatalities. If this keeps up in November and December, we should have our lowest fatality count since the 1960's. Drive safe.



* these are preliminary statistics as some injured persons may still pass away.