Tennessee ended 2012 with at least 1002 traffic fatalities.
This number is up about 72 from the previous year. Bradley county watched a record high 23 traffic fatalities last year. Andy Smith, Sergeant Bradley County Sheriff's Office said, "People are going too fast, not paying attention in their vehicles, too many electronic devices going on, not being seat belted in and basically just not paying attention to what they are doing when they are behind the wheel of a car."
Local law enforcement tracks the number of crash data through a system called Tennessee Integrated Traffic Analysis Network. With the data they are able to try to improve safety on roadways. Smith said, "We would like people to slow down, pay attention to what they are doing, think about other people besides them and the vehicle, and get home safely."
Getting home safely is part of a campaign the Sheriff's Office put together to prevent the number of traffic related deaths. In 2011, Sheriff Ruth announced the lifesaver campaign that is still ongoing. Bob Gault, Bradley County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer said, "It's to reduce accidents, not only are the traffic deputies that we have that we have working the traffic unit, but all patrol deputies are vigilant about traffic safety, watching for motorists and doing traffic stops when they see violations that contribute speeding, reckless driving and things of that nature."
