MEMPHIS, Tenn. — December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. For more than 40 years, activists around the country have observed this month to raise awareness during the holidays.
However, driving impaired happens more often than you might think. A new report from Forbes Advisor names Tennessee the 12th worst state for drunk driving.
According to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, from Nov. 1, 2022, to Oct. 31, 2023, one in three deadly crashes involved a DUI. Below is a map showing the cluster of crashes in Shelby County.
In October, ABC24 Visual Storyteller Michael Morrison died one day after a two-car crash in the Cooper-Young area.
Morrison worked at ABC24 for nine years. Morrison was a gifted and passionate journalist and mentor. At 36 years old, Morrison leaves behind his loving wife, Lindy, and their two beautiful girls.
The other driver involved in the wreck, 25-year-old Jason Patterson, is facing several charges, including DUI and leaving the scene of an accident. A court hearing Friday, Dec. 15, was continued until end of January.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is doing its part to help families who have lost loved ones in DUI related crashes. MADD is fighting for stiffer penalties for offenders.
In Tennessee, a first time DUI offender could be fined up to $1,500, have their license suspended for a year, and face up to a year in jail. Many activists believe that's not enough.
“For those families that we see, it is the most horrific thing that can happen in someone's life,” said Karla Smith, a MADD victim service specialist. “To know that, one day your loved one went to work or out to the store and a police officer comes to your home and tells you they've been killed by a drunk driver, that is traumatic.”