MONTGOMERY— Gov. Robert Bentley has awarded nine grants, totaling $250,000, to help law enforcement officers make Alabama roadways safer during the week before and after Memorial Day.
The funds will cover overtime pay for police officers and sheriff’s deputies during the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign that runs May 21 – June 3. Officers will emphasize enforcement of the state’s seat belt laws by conducting safety checkpoints and increasing the number of patrols on Alabama roads.
Since the first Alabama “Click It or Ticket” campaign in 2001, seatbelt usage has gone from 79 percent to 88 percent among Alabama drivers as of 2011.
“The ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign has made travel safer by encouraging more Alabamians to buckle up,” Bentley said. “This year our law enforcement officers will work hard to build on the progress that has been made and will work to prevent more injuries and fatalities on our roads.”
While “Click It or Ticket” covers specific dates, Bentley urged motorists to obey seatbelt and traffic safety laws throughout the year.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from the State Traffic Safety Trust Fund, an account that receives fines paid by individuals found guilty of driving without a license or with a suspended or revoked license. ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, infrastructure upgrades, recreation, energy conservation, water resources, job training and career development.
Bentley awarded the following “Click it or Ticket” grants to the state’s nine regional highway safety offices:
• $34,100 to the city of Montgomery for the Central Alabama Highway Safety Office which serves Autauga, Bullock, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery and Russell counties.
• $32,200 to the Etowah County Commission for the Northeast Alabama Traffic Safety Office which serves Cherokee, DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, Madison and Marshall counties.
• $45,450 to Jefferson State Community College for the Birmingham Regional Highway Safety Office which serves Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Walker counties.
• $27,150 to Enterprise-Ozark Community College for the Southeast Alabama Traffic Safety Office which serves Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties.
• $29,675 to the Mobile County Commission for the South Regional Highway Safety Office which serves Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties.
• $25,250 to Northwest Shoals Community College for the North Alabama Highway Safety Office which serves Colbert, Cullman, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Marion, Morgan and Winston counties.
• $20,200 to the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission for the Highway Traffic Safety Division which serves Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Marengo, Monroe, Washington and Wilcox counties.
• $15,775 to Shelton State Community College for the West Alabama Community Traffic Safety Office which serves Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa counties.
• $20,200 to Gadsden State Community College for the East Alabama Highway Safety Office which serves Calhoun, Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Randolph, Talladega and Tallapoosa counties.
Contact: Russell Sellers, Larry Childers