Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded grants totaling $1.57 million to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency for efforts to improve highway safety and ensure dangerous motorists are off the roads.
Ivey awarded the four grants to fund special highway safety programs like “Click It or Ticket” and “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” Those programs coincide with major holidays, like Labor Day and Memorial Day, when traffic is heaviest.
“These grant funds will put more troopers on our highways and support other programs intended to reduce crashes and save lives,” Ivey said. “Motorists who ignore our highway safety laws and put themselves and others at risk of injury or worse need to take warning that they will be caught and properly punished.”
Two grants totaling $1.2 million will be devoted to putting additional troopers on the roads particularly in locations where high numbers of alcohol- and speed-related crashes have occurred.
A $344,302 grant will help train troopers and other local law enforcement officers to recognize causes of impairment of drivers who have been stopped for erratic driving.
A $35,000 grant will help provide special prosecutors to ensure that court cases involving driver’s license suspensions are handled in a timely manner so that unsafe drivers are taken off the roads.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available to the state by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“ADECA is proud to partner with Gov. Ivey and ALEA to keep our roads safe and ensure that motorists arrive at their destinations,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “These grants will ensure ALEA has the resources necessary to put more troopers out on patrol during busy travel periods.”
Gov. Ivey notified ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor that the grants had been approved.
ADECA administers an array of programs supporting law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.
