Alabama Law Enforcement Agency officials announced that state troopers investigated accidents that resulted in 23 traffic deaths during the 17-day Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday travel period, which began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, December 16, 2017, and continued until midnight Monday, January 1, 2018.
The total is significantly lower than the total from the same period in 2016, when troopers investigated 31 traffic fatalities.
The fatal traffic crashes occurred in Autauga, Baldwin, Calhoun, Choctaw, Colbert, Coosa, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dallas, DeKalb, Escambia, Geneva, Limestone, Mobile, Russell, St. Clair, Shelby and Washington counties.
Those killed were 16 drivers, four passengers, two pedestrians and one bicyclist. Of those who died in these crashes, 20 were traveling in vehicles equipped with seat belts, but 11 of them were not using them.
ALEA officials noted that troopers enjoyed five zero-fatality days during the holiday travel period, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
In addition, troopers wrapped up 2017 with fewer traffic fatality investigations than during the previous 12 months. In 2017, Troopers investigated 598 traffic deaths, 73 fewer than the 671 investigated in 2016.