Police beef up patrols during holiday week

A record number of travelers are expected on the highways during the Fourth of July holiday, and law enforcement officials will be out in force in hopes of reducing accidents.

AAA estimates 41.1 million Americans will travel this holiday week.

Clay Ingram, a spokesman for AAA in Alabama, said there will be more people traveling than normal since the Fourth of July is in the middle of the week. As a result, he said a lot of travelers will be spending the entire week on a holiday trip.

"We have a lot of traffic now," said Littleville Police Chief William Nale. "With the holiday coming up, we're expecting that much more.''

With more people on the roadways, Alabama Department of Public Safety officials estimate that seven people will die in traffic crashes during the state's 30-hour Independence Day period. The designated period begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday and ends at midnight Wednesday.

Reports show there were 22 fatalities in 2006 during an extended 102-hour Fourth of July holiday. At least six of those were alcohol-related and 10 involved victims who were not wearing safety belts.

"This is one of the highest traffic periods of the year,'' said Eddie Russell, director of the North Alabama Highway Safety Office in Tuscumbia. "Children are out of school and a lot of businesses are closed for the entire week. So, there will be more people vacationing and that means more people on the roadways.''

Col. J. Christopher Murphy, director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety, said more troopers will patrol during the holiday period, targeting high-traffic areas.

Troopers also will conduct checkpoints.

Murphy said troopers will focus on speeders, drivers under the influence and those not using seatbelts.

"By removing impaired and other dangerous drivers from the roadways, troopers have a direct impact on protecting the safety (of motorists)," Murphy said.

Russell said a lot of local agencies also will have extra patrols during the holiday period.

"There's going to be a lot of people traveling over the next few days and we're going to be trying to make sure everyone is safe. That's the bottom line,'' Nale said.

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@timesdaily.com.