For the second time this year, state and local agencies have teamed up for a bus tour to help crack down on distracted driving.
On Thursday, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and other departments urged to the public to stay alert while on the road during the last day of the tour. On Friday, officials confirmed the four-day tour helped them issue more than 900 citations.
There have been 22,704 crashes statewide where distracted driving was a contributing factor, according to the Tennessee Integrated Traffic Analysis Network. Out of the number of crashes so far this year, 88 of them were fatal.
"It's time to stop. We have to curb this problem now. We can't lose another life to this problem," said THP Sergeant Charles Caplinger in a press conference.
To help enforce the law and remind people of the dangers of distracted driving, about 20 law enforcement personnel scouted the inner loop of Nashville with two buses.
The bus tour started on October 9 in Kingsport and made its way across the state.
"We're riding in an elevated position, so we can see down and inside the cars for anybody texting and driving or not wearing their seat belts," said Metro Nashville Police Department Officer Michael Wilson.
In April, officers gave 224 citations. This time around, from Monday through Thursday, officials issued a total of 905 citations statewide.
The bus tour will likely pick back up next April.
