NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two cases of driving under the influence have been sent to the Tennessee Supreme Court, and their decision could give more power to police to make traffic stops.
The Tennessee Supreme Court was set to hear two cases in September, and justices will have to decide how many times drivers have to cross road lines before police can stop them for a traffic violation.
Each one involved a driver who was stopped by police after crossing the line only once, briefly. They were both charged with DUI.
However, in two other high-profile DUI cases, one involving former Titan Steve McNair, the other, state Representative Bill Beck, a judge threw out the charges.
Those rulings were based on a case in which the state supreme court said it was impossible to drive a car in a straight line and that touching a line a couple of times was not a violation.
“People now, are distracted sometimes when they’re driving and they touch the fault line, and it’s sometimes impossible to keep your car straight on the road, especially some of these curvy Tennessee roads,” said DUI defense lawyer Rob McKinney. “So I think the general public could be concerned that they could be stopped for traffic violations more.”
The cases were from Knox and Williamson Counties.
