Governor Kay Ivey has awarded close to $9.3 million for a combined effort to boost statewide enforcement of traffic laws and conduct campaigns to encourage safe driving practices.
The grants will enable the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and four of the state’s regional traffic safety offices to cover overtime for police officers, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers to conduct extra patrols during peak travel times to target speeding, seat belt violations and impaired driving.
“Those who are disobeying traffic laws or driving while impaired needlessly put themselves and everyone else on the road at risk,” Gov. Ivey said. “Working together with these partners, our goals are to change driving behaviors and reduce fatalities to the best of our ability, helping ensure that everyone safely arrives at their destination.”
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency received grants totaling $1.4 million. An $800,000 grant will boost enforcement of speed limits with the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, STEP. Officers will work extra shifts to target specific locations to enforce traffic laws, educate the public and encourage safe driving. The agency also received a $600,000 grant, which it will use to target locations identified by statistical analysis as problem spots for Driving Under the Influence infractions.
The Mobile County Commission received five grants worth about $1.5 million for the Southwest Regional Highway Safety Office. The grants will fund a campaign targeting the use of seat belts and child restraints, the Community Traffic Safety Program, CTSP, the Hot Spot Impaired Driving Enforcement Campaign and the STEP. These projects serve Baldwin, Bibb, Chilton, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Escambia, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Washington and Wilcox counties.
The Franklin County Commission received five grants worth about $2.7 million for the North Central Alabama Highway Safety Office. The grants will fund a safety belt enforcement program, the CTSP, the STEP, the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign and an impaired driving enforcement campaign. These projects serve Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Walker and Winston counties.
Central Alabama Community College received five grants totaling about $2 million for the East Central Alabama Community Highway Safety Office. The grants will support the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, a year-round high visibility enforcement project and the STEP. These projects serve Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Coosa, Elmore, Etowah, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Talladega counties.
Enterprise State Community College received five grants worth about $1.6 million to fund the Southeast Alabama Community Highway Safety Office and several projects involving data-driven and high-visibility traffic enforcement. These projects serve Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Clay, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Pike, Randolph, Russell and Tallapoosa counties.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“The programs supported by these grants form a comprehensive strategy for making Alabama’s highways and roads safer,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA joins Gov. Ivey in support of these initiatives to prevent traffic deaths and injuries.”
ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, victim programs, economic development, water resource management, energy conservation and recreation.
