[Montgomery, Alabama] As summer approaches and another school year ends, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) urges Alabamians of all ages to ensure safety is part of their Memorial Day Weekend and during the summer months.
The official holiday traveling period runs from 6 p.m. Friday, May 22, to midnight Monday, May 25, but Alabama State Troopers assigned to the Highway Patrol and Marine Patrol Divisions will work together to create a highly visible enforcement presence and to promote public safety through midnight Monday, May 31.
“Our goal is to reduce injuries and deaths by teaming up to serve and protect the citizens of Alabama, particularly during the extended holiday weekend, when we expect heavier-than-usual traffic. Troopers will engage in routine patrols and be available to assist motorists,” Secretary of Law Enforcement Spencer Collier said. “Whether you are celebrating summer at home or at the lake or beach, we ask that you work with us to ensure everyone arrives safely.”
In addition, state law enforcement will combine forces with county and municipal agencies in Alabama to conduct various details designed to enhance public safety and to enforce all laws, including traffic, boating, and alcoholic beverage laws. Troopers also will join law enforcement partners across the nation in this year’s Click It Or Ticket safety campaign, which began Monday, May 18, and runs through the end of May 31, to promote the use of seat belts and child restraints. Troopers and other officers will be looking for motorists who are not buckled up. In Alabama, the seat belt law mandates that all front-seat occupants -- regardless of age -- be restrained.
ALEA urges Alabamians to:
- Remember Alabama’s seat belt law mandates that all front-seat occupants -- regardless of age -- be restrained. The state’s child restraint law requires the following size‐appropriate restraint systems for children riding in front and back seats: Infant‐only seats and convertible seats used in the rear‐facing position for infants until at least 1 year of age or 20 pounds; convertible seats in the forward position or forward‐facing seats until the child is at least 5 years of age or 40 pounds; booster seats until the child is 6 years of age; seat belts until the child is 15 years of age.
- Restrict access and closely monitoring teens to prevent underage use of alcoholic beverages.
- Avoid driving or boating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Buckle up -- no matter how short the trip -- on the road or on the water. Occupants of all ages should use seat belts or child restraints when traveling by motor vehicles. On waterways, all occupants of water vessels should use U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets.
- Focus on driving or boating and avoiding such distractions as texting and talking on cell phones.
- Slow down in construction zones along the way. Drivers pose the greatest danger in work zone crashes by not paying attention, speeding and driving while impaired or distracted.
- Report anything suspicious (at school, public venues, etc.) to the Alabama Fusion Center’s tip line, 866.229.6220.
- Pay attention to weather conditions, particularly when there is thunder and lightning. Storms can come up quickly, especially in warm weather, so keep an eye to the sky. Watch for temperature changes, shifts in wind patterns and changes in cloud formations.
“Troopers also will target such dangerous behavior as speeding, DUI, distracted driving, following too closely and other driving behaviors that cause crashes and contribute to more severe crashes,” Collier said, adding the expanded enforcement initiative is made possible by grants provided by the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. He cited ALDOT and ADECA as valuable partners in the state’s traffic safety efforts and thanked them for their ongoing support.
“We also need the public’s support. We simply request citizens of Alabama help us make the most of this holiday weekend and summer,” he said. “Our safety campaign is not about raising revenue. It’s about saving lives.”
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