Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's (ALEA) Troopers are serious when it comes to driving under the influence, driving while distracted, speeding and other deadly driving behaviors during the Fourth of July holiday travel period, which is from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, July 3, to midnight Sunday, July 7.
All available Troopers will be out on Alabama roadways during the extended holiday weekend to enforce the law and work to prevent traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities. The agency urges all motorists to drive defensively and to prepare for traffic delays as traffic will be heavier than usual. In addition, Troopers and their local law enforcement partners are participating in the national safety initiative Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, so motorists also should expect sobriety checkpoints.
The agency is stepping up traffic enforcement during this holiday travel period with grant funding from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT).
- Don’t let your independence be compromised by an unwise — and deadly — decision to drink and drive. For everyone’s safety, draw straws for a designated driver prior to taking that first sip of an alcoholic beverage during Fourth of July celebrations. In addition, monitor teens and children when alcoholic beverages are available to prevent underage drinking.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) SaferRide mobile app is available from Apple's iTunes Store for iOS devices. SaferRide allows users to call a taxi or a predetermined friend, and it identifies the user’s location, so he or she can be picked up.
- Buckle up – no matter how short the drive!
- Focus on driving – not on phones, stereos, passengers, messy tacos or any other distraction.
- To ensure the safety of the motoring public, construction industry workers and maintenance crews, ALDOT will suspend work in construction zones from noon Wednesday, July 3, to midnight Sunday, July 7. During that time, there will be no temporary lane closures on Alabama interstates. Still, motorists should use caution when traveling through those areas.
Again, Troopers would like to remind the motoring public to use caution when traveling and have an enjoyable holiday weekend.
