Special to Atmore News
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) officials reported that Highway Patrol and Marine Patrol divisions investigated six traffic fatalities and one drowning during the Labor Day holiday period, which ran from 12:01 a.m. Friday, August 30, to midnight Monday, September 2.
The fatal highway crashes occurred in Cleburne, Chilton and Mobile counties. Saturday, August 31, was the only day during the extended holiday weekend on which there were no traffic fatalities.
Troopers also investigated 185 traffic crashes that resulted in 101 injuries, made 29 DUI arrests, and issued 227 citations for seat belts, 1,688 citations for speeding, and 15 citations for reckless driving over the holiday period.
During that same time period, troopers with ALEA’s Marine Patrol Division investigated one non-boating fatality (drowning) that occurred on Wheeler Lake on Sunday, September 1. There were no boating-related fatalities on the state’s waterways.
Marine Division troopers did, however, investigate one boating incident that occurred on Lake Tuscaloosa and resulted in two injuries. They also conducted 366 vessel inspections, made six BUI arrests and issued 469 Marine Safety Warnings and 105 Marine Safety Citations.
ALEA has been conducting its “101 Days of Summer Safety” campaign and officials reported that, as of September 1, the agency had experienced 32 fewer traffic fatalities than the same period in 2023.
“While we are encouraged by the decrease in fatalities, there is still much work to be done,” ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor said. “These tragic incidents underline the importance of road safety, as well boating safety, and the ongoing need for vigilance and adherence to the state’s laws throughout the entire year.”
Apart from roadway and water safety, ALEA also completed another successful Rescue Swimmer Detail along the state’s Gulf Coast. The Rescue Swimmer Detail is an initiative that partners ALEA’s Aviation Unit with the cities of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores.
Rescue swimmers from both fire departments are deployed from the agency’s aircraft to swimmers in distress. During the Labor Day weekend, 12 patrol flights were conducted, with one additional report of a missing diver who was located prior to the launch of the ALEA helicopter. Troopers with the Aviation Unit also conducted six training deployments with the rescue swimmers.