Want to read how governmental agencies alter and skirt the facts to make themselves look good after a monumental misuse of police powers that cost the state millions of dollars in tourism money? CLICK HERE

Tennessee Department of Safety Commissioner David Mitchell’s news release entitled U.S. 129 “Deals Gap” Enforcement Initiative Reduces Crashes 53% is filled with glowing accolades that the governor’s Highway Patrol saturation of the Dragon “caused a significant decrease in bodily injury crashes during the enforcement period in 2007”.

What the news release doesn’t state is:

1.  During the three month period of the enforcement program, July, August and September, there were three fatalities on the Dragon (one on July 12, and two on July 13). These were the first fatalities in eleven months and they all occurred in spite of the saturation patrols.

2.  The report seems to indicate that only four troopers were assigned overtime duties during the three month program. On many days we counted between ten and fourteen troopers on the Dragon. This means that some six to ten troopers that should have been working other areas were relocated to US 129 during their normal duty hours. This left much of the state unprotected. NOTE: Our calculation of man hours indicates there were ten to fourteen troopers on overtime most of the days. SEE CALCULATIONS BELOW

3. The release states a “fifty-three percent (53%) decrease in crashes on the Dragon”. It fails to state that traffic on the Dragon was reduced by at least that much and the vehicles that were on the road were traveling at 20 mph or less because of the trooper saturation.

4. The release fails to mention the feedback from tourists across the nation who voiced opposition to the tactics used by THP in this program. Approximately 97% of the emails received by the state were negative.

5. The release fails to note the economic impact of the program on the state and local area. Many of the thousands of emails vowed not to spend a penny in Tennessee until officials came to their senses. Many cancelled plans to stay in the state as a result of the negative publicity. The Internet is filled with horror stories that will affect the tourism of the area for years to come. Even the Smoky Mountain Convention and Visitors Bureau president Herb Handly advised that motorcyclists “might want to stay away from The Dragon until this enforcement blitz is over.” Great publicity here for the state.

6. While this program was underway only “seven commercial vehicle inspections” were conducted. Meanwhile some 120 semis crossed this mountain road unescorted and uninspected by THP or BCSO. NOTE: Based on an average 1 semi per day for three months.

7. A total of 418 citations were issued, 87 for speeding and 13 for improper passing. That leaves 318 citations for such serious offenses as license plate location, failure to show proof of insurance, non-DOT helmets, and having video cameras in view of the driver. Tail of the Dragon could have issued ten citations to THP and BCSO units for crossing the double yellow and at least 24 citations for speeding and illegal turns. The release does not address if any actions were taken to reprimand the THP and BCSO officers guilty of these infractions. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS

8. The release does not document the number of drivers pulled-over, detained and harassed without cause. Tail of the Dragon documented one such stop on video and numerous cases were sent to us via email. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

9. The release does not document the cases where THP and BCSO actions endangered riders and drivers on the Dragon. One such case was documented by photos as a trooper pulled out and nearly forced a motorcyclist into oncoming traffic. Many similar cases were sent to us in emails. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS

This temporary three-month program was funded by a grant using Federal Funds in the amount of  $97,000 ($65,000 to Blount County Sheriff’s Office and $32,000 to the Tennessee Department of Safety). These funds were to be used entirely for overtime pay. Citizens of the State of Tennessee supposedly paid for the vehicles, vehicle maintenance, and fuel out of previously appropriated budgets.

Tail of the Dragon estimated total man hours during the three months for THP at 1400 and BCSO at 540. These figures are based on daily counts of officers on the Dragon by TOD. Estimating overtime pay for THP at $25 an hour comes to $35,000, reasonably close to the funds appropriated in the grant. But using the same figure for Blount County Sheriff Deputies comes to only $13,500. What has BCSO done with the other $51,500 in grant money? Perhaps the Governor’s Office and the State Attorney General need to look into this discrepancy.

The Bottom Line:

Tennessee seems to be proud of their “special enforcement initiative” to address the “total chaos and lawlessness” on the Dragon. But then what should we expect from such governmental agencies who seem to not care about solving problems in an intelligent and professional manner. Had tactics such as we saw on the Dragon been used by private enterprise the companies would not survive.

And did local authorities stand-up and question the tactics of the state? Did area businesses wage any protests? If they didn't then they have no one to blame but themselves for the loss of business. If they did the protests fell on deaf legislators.

So now the State of Tennessee has alienated many of its potential tourism by overreacting to a few citizen complaints about “chaos and lawlessness” on the Dragon. Personally we have seen more chaos and lawlessness on the Kingston Pike in Knoxville . In our eight years of frequenting the Dragon we have not seen any drugs or fights. There have been one or two times where we did see alcohol use by riders. And we have seen speeders as we do on every road we have ever been on. More of a problem than any of these are those who come to the Dragon with limited riding/driving skills, and of course the unescorted semis.

There are other approaches the state could have taken to handle the supposed problems. The path they chose was moronic. It is a sad commentary on those in charge. Now the initiative is over and the troopers have departed. Is the problem solved or did the heavy-handed tactics just reduce tourism for years? We’ll bet the problems return.

Why do we citizens continue to take such abuse by reelecting the same people into power and by not holding those in government responsible for their abuses of power? Do you really want governmental agencies controlling everything that you do? Do you want them to protect you from every danger that lurks in everyday life? We might as well give up our motorcycles/cars and rely on public transportation with storm troopers watching every move as we come and go. Oh yes, you’ll have to continue to give up 60% of your income in taxes to pay for this protection.

We can do better. Make your vote count and let’s get government off our backs. We need to start electing people who want less government and lower taxes ….. and we need to hold them responsible for their promises!!!