MONTGOMERY -- The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) urges the motoring public to make safety a priority this New Year’s Eve. Before that first alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or select another safe mode of transportation home.
ALEA’s Christmas/New Year’s holiday traffic enforcement period began at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20, and will run through midnight Wednesday, Jan. 1. During this time, ALEA has assigned all available Troopers to patrol Alabama roadways and bolster enforcement efforts to prevent traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities. The agency also is participating in the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, designed to curb alcohol- and/or drug-impaired driving.
“Our goal is simply to save lives,” ALEA’s Secretary Hal Taylor said the weekend before Christmas.
When so many are traveling at this time of year, safety is key, Secretary Taylor said. Do not drink while under the influence of alcohol or while distracted, obey speed limits, insist everyone in the vehicle buckle up, and do not follow too closely. #ArriveAliveAlabama.
Heightened seasonal traffic safety activities are made possible through grant funding from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). Additionally, for the safety of motorists and construction/maintenance crews during this season, ALDOT will suspend temporary lane closures on Alabama interstate highways from noon Tuesday, Dec. 31, to 6 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020.
