Fewer Trooper-investigated traffic deaths during holidays, 2017 overall

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - The holiday travel season has come to an end and Alabama State Troopers say the 17-day stretch saw significantly fewer traffic deaths than during the same time in 2016.

In all, State Troopers worked 23 traffic deaths during the Christmas and New Year's Day period. That covers a span from midnight on Dec. 16 to midnight on Jan. 1. At the same time a year earlier, Troopers investigated 31 deaths.

Five of the 17 days saw zero fatal crashes, including Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

A total of 18 of the state's 67 counties saw at least one fatal crash. They include Autauga, Baldwin, Calhoun, Choctaw, Colbert, Coosa, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dallas, DeKalb, Escambia, Geneva, Limestone, Mobile, Russell, St. Clair, Shelby and Washington counties.

Of those who died, 16 were drivers, four were passengers, two pedestrians and one was a bicyclist.

Troopers said 20 of the victims were traveling in vehicles equipped with seat belts but 11 of them were not using the safety restraint when they were killed. The crashes all remain under investigation.

Troopers also investigated 73 fewer traffic fatalities in 2017 than in the previous year, 598 deaths compared to 671 in 2016.

Commuters are encouraged to buckle up, obey speed limits, avoid driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, and avoid driving when distracted.

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