Tennessee law enforcement officials have kicked off their "Booze It and Lose It" holiday safety campaign.
Officials with the Governor's Highway Safety Office made the announcement during a press conference at the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce in Murfreesboro.
Kendell Poole, director of the Tennessee Governor's Highway Safety Office, joined members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol along with neighboring law enforcement agencies in Middle Tennessee.
Law enforcement agencies across Tennessee were set to be out in full force beginning Friday through Jan. 3 searching for impaired drivers.
Officials reminded motorists to plan ahead for a sober ride home before taking part in holiday celebrations this season.
The mother of Nicholas Townsend, a teen who was killed earlier this year by an impaired driver in Portland the night before his high school graduation, was at the event to share how a driver's bad decision has affected her family.
"Now the pain is still overwhelming for us all, because not only did we lose a shining star, we have to live with the fact that this was completely avoidable, said Townsend."
For more information about the Governor's Highway Safety Office, visit http://www.tntrafficsafety.org.
