Troopers on full alert this weekend
Published 11:00 pm Thursday, August 29, 2013
The Alabama Department of Public Safety is planning to have state troopers crack down on traffic violators this weekend.
Troopers are joining other law enforcement agencies across the state and nation for this year’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.
According to the DPS, an Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs grant will allow troopers to work additional shifts and participate in this safety campaign.
This year’s Labor Day holiday travel period will begin at 6 tonight and run through midnight on Monday. Troopers will extend their efforts even further, though, and continue upped enforcement through midnight Tuesday.
“Partnering with other law enforcement agencies is important, but it is our partnership with motorists that is key to a successful enforcement campaign and safe holiday weekend,” said Col. Hugh B. McCall, director of Public Safety and the state’s highest-ranking trooper.
McCall said he hopes Alabamians are part of the troopers’ safety initiative by agreeing not to drive if they have been drinking and to insist that friends and family members do the same.
Obeying safety rules, such as buckling up every time people get in a car, is also a way Alabamians can help prevent injuries and fatalities.
The American Automobile Association predicts more people will be on the road this year than last Labor Day weekend with 34.1 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the holiday.