Kingsport Times. June 12, 2024.
Editorial: ‘A Safer 26 in ’24 Campaign’ is working
Law enforcement agencies are doing their part in a campaign to cut down on accidents and deaths along Interstate 26 from the Tennessee state lines with Virginia and North Carolina. But is the motoring public?
The campaign began Jan. 26 with a huge crackdown on traffic violations along the highway from every jurisdiction through which it passes, including the Kingsport Police Department, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Johnson City Police Department, Carter County Sheriff’s Department, Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department, Erwin Police Department, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
And it’s having an effect! Last year, between Jan. 26 and June 4, three people died on I-26. This year, one person has died, and that was caused by a driver headed in the wrong direction on the interstate in Johnson City, colliding head on with another vehicle in which the driver was killed.
Crashes also have come down along the 55 miles of I-26 between the Kingsport city limits to the top of Sams Gap. Last year, there were 153 accidents during the approximately four-month period.
This year with the “A Safer 26 in ’24 Campaign” the total is down to 108. The intention of the campaign is to reduce crashes with deaths and injuries by increasing officer visibility and enforcement of speeding and impaired and distracted driving laws on the Tennessee section of the interstate.
Johnson City Police Chief Billy Church organized the campaign after a spate of accidents on the Johnson City portion of I-26.
“This campaign is a direct result of communication with the community,” Church said. “Those served by the JCPD told us they wanted a safer interstate. We are working to provide that for drivers ... across our region by increasing patrols and partnering with state and local agencies.”
For instance, under the campaign to date, Johnson City police officers alone tripled the number of traffic stops to 1,595 with speeding as the top offense. City officers also tripled the number of tickets to 932 and gave three times more written and verbal warnings at 600.
“When we make more traffic stops, officers will issue more tickets, but they’re also giving drivers some leniency by issuing more warnings,” Church said.
The motoring public may think law enforcement agencies are only interested in writing tickets. That’s not the case with “A Safer 26 in ’24.” The goal is to reduce accidents and save lives. Your role is to slow down and always pay attention.
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