A Talladega police officer checks for speeding vehicles along Alabama 77. Brian Schoenhals
“There are not enough state troopers out there and there are not enough police officers, but by working together we can help save lives,” said Pell City Police Chief Greg Turley. “I think these programs are always a success and we look forward to participating.”
He said the Pell City Police Department will have ever available police officer on the road to help make the week-long “Take Back Our Highways” campaign successful.
The Pell City Police Department is just one of many police departments and county sheriff’s departments across the state, joining Alabama State Troopers in an aggressive highway safety campaign with the goal of zero traffic fatalities during the last week of July.
The campaign will kick off Saturday and end next Friday, July 31.
“In the last two years, our state troopers have saved 195 lives on state roadways, but we’re still seeing too many preventable fatalities in Alabama,” said Col. J. Christopher Murphy, public safety director. “The drunken driver in her 50s who drove off the road and overturned; the teenage driver, not wearing a seatbelt, who failed to yield the right of way to an oncoming vehicle; the speeding motorcyclist who lost control, ran off the road and into a ditch…theses fatalities never should have happened.
“These are the lives we are working to save,” Murphy said. “We have seen great improvements in safety on our roadways. But as long as 65 percent of trooper-worked fatalities are not buckled up, and as long as more than 40 percent of trooper-worked fatalities involved alcohol, there are fatalities we can and will prevent.”
During the July 25-31 period last year, there were 18 fatalities, the highest number of trooper-worked fatalities in a single week during 2008.
The Alabama State Troopers will use all available troopers on the highways during the one-week period.
“Motorists in Alabama can expect to see more troopers on our roadways, and they can expect to encounter a trooper if they speed, fail to buckle up or drive under the influence of alcohol,” Murphy said. “Motorists endanger themselves and others when they choose to disobey traffic laws. We encourage motorists instead to drive the speed limit, buckle up, and partner with us to increase safety on our roadways and to save lives.”
Sylacauga Police Chief Louis Zook said their police department will have extra officers out patrolling the streets in conjunction with the “Take Back Our Highways” campaign, starting Saturday.
“If you follow the rules, everybody will be fine,” he said.
Zook said the Sylacauga Police Department also has additional “Take Back Our Highways” grant money specifically for the Labor Day Weekend, the first weekend in September.
Talladega City Police Chief Alan Watson said his department is not participating in next week’s “Take Back Our Highways” campaign program.
Turley said starting Saturday Pell City officers will concentrate patrols on community roads, where they are seeing increase traffic accidents - along secondary highways like U.S. 78 and Alabama 34.
“We’re going to be here taking care of our community, shoulder to shoulder with the state troopers,” Turley said.
The traffic safety campaign reaches past Alabama state borders with Mississippi, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee highway patrols joining the “Take Back Our Highways” effort to prevent highway fatalities.
“Mississippi and Tennessee have been our loyal partners in ‘Take Back Our Highways,’ and we welcome Florida and Georgia,” Murphy said. “We believe motorists will benefit from the consistent emphasis on safety that they’ll encounter as they travel from one jurisdiction to another.”
Turley said the presences of lawman on roads and highways will help change driver behavior, making roads and highways safer for all.
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