By Staff
From Staff Reports
Efforts to improve traffic safety in southeast Alabama have received a boost thanks to two grants totaling $113,435 awarded by Gov. Bob Riley to Southeast Alabama Regional Medical Center.
The Southeast Alabama Traffic Safety Office, based at the medical center, will use the grants to coordinate law enforcement efforts and provide safety programs to reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths in a 12-county area. The safety office serves Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Pike and Russell counties.
The office coordinates increased enforcement of DUI and speeding laws during high-traffic periods like Labor Day and other holiday weekends and helps pay overtime for police officers out on extra patrols.
Many law enforcement agencies in the area do not have the resources to provide safety education programs. To help these agencies, the office provides resources and personnel needed to conduct programs about seat belt usage, child passenger safety and other topics related to highway safety.
Riley awarded the grants from funds made available to the state by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Other agencies will administer them.
Riley notified Ronald Owen, chief executive of Southeast Alabama Medical Center, that the grants had been approved.