State troopers urge safe driving this holiday weekend

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Law enforcement officials are expecting roads to be busier for the Fourth of July weekend, so they are encouraging motorists to use caution while traveling.

Expected peak travel period will begin at 12:01 a.m. July 1, and end at midnight July 4.

Alabama state trooper Larry Thomas said most fatalities occur on Interstate 65 and Interstate 85, and are caused by several factors.

“Most of the time it’s going to be involving speed, some type of intoxicating substance or following too close,” Thomas said.

In 2021, 10 fatalities occurred over the holiday weekend.

Thomas hopes the heavy presence of troopers, driver’s license checkpoints and line patrols will lower those numbers.

“One of the things that we don’t like doing is notifying a family member that your loved one won’t be coming home tonight,” he said.

Motorists like Henry Singleton will feel more at ease knowing ALEA troopers will be strictly enforcing reckless driving over the weekend, saving lives.

“I am very much concerned when comes around this time of year about crashes and people getting hurt,” Singleton said.

Singleton travels often to Birmingham and Atlanta, and he encourages people to pay close attention to the highway.

“I pay attention to the big 18-wheelers,” he said, “I pay attention to cars behind me, on the side of me, and in front of me.”

Knowing many friends who lost their lives to drinking and driving, Singleton is pleading to travelers to stay off the roads if they’ve had a few.

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