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Taking Back our Highways yields positive results

Take Back Our Highways, part two, is now in the history books.

This was a tri-state effort, with collaboration from Alabama troopers' counterparts: Tennessee and Mississippi.

But the second time around, troopers had a bigger challenge facing them, the Thanksgiving holiday, which meant more drivers on the roads and a higher chance for accidents to occur.  

Sgt. Robert Phillips says, "We think it was very successful.  It's not as successful as a best case scenario."

Best case scenario would be no accidents on the roadways.

It's a long stretch, but with your cooperation, troopers could come closer to that goal.

Round two of the Take Back Our Highways initiative ran from November 19th-25th.

We compared results from this year to the seven day span last year.

This year, the number of DUI's went up from 95 last year, to 170.

The number of people cited for seat belt/child restraint violations also went up from 1,120 to 2,214.

In 2006, there were 17 traffic fatalities, this year, there were 21. 

Nine of these victims, died during the Thanksgiving travel period which begins Wednesday at six p.m. and ends Sunday at midnight.

According to the state Director of Public Safety, Col. J Christopher Murphy, many of those were not wearing seat belts and at least five, involved alcohol.

The number of hazardous arrests were way up.

That includes DUI, speeding, following too closely, improper lane change and seat belt/child restraint violations.

Last year, 5,384 people were arrested for hazardous driving behavior.

This year, that number was 11,564.

Sgt. Phillips says, "That's a part of it.  When you're going to enforce more strictly and stringently that's what's going to happen."

But the promising news is that traffic crashes and injuries went down.

In 2006 there were 701 rural crashes, compared to 637 in 2007.

Last year, 327 people were injured on Alabama roadways, compared to 253 this year.

What were the biggest problems troopers encountered this time around?

Sgt. Phillips says, "Number one was speeding and number two was non-compliance of seat belt laws."

Statistics still show that seat belts do save lives.

Just remember, troopers are still out there in full force, monitoring our roadways to make sure you are safe.

Please be courteous, respectful, alert, and do not rush... it could save your life or someone else's.