MONTGOMERY– Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded more than $6.6 million in traffic safety grants, including funding for regions serving northeast Alabama.

The grants support officer overtime and public education through Alabama’s four regional traffic safety offices. Locally, those regions include Cherokee, Etowah, Calhoun, DeKalb, Marshall, and Jackson counties.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the grants using funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Funding for Northeast Alabama Regions

Central Alabama Community College received five grants totaling more than $1.7 million for the Community Traffic Safety Program’s East Central Region.

That region serves Cherokee, Etowah, and Calhoun counties. It also includes Blount, Cleburne, Coosa, Elmore, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, and Talladega counties.

Meanwhile, the Franklin County Commission received five grants totaling more than $1.8 million for the North Central Region.

Its coverage includes DeKalb, Marshall, and Jackson counties. In addition, the region serves Colbert, Cullman, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Walker, and Winston counties.

Law enforcement agencies within the regions are eligible to receive funding for additional enforcement in their communities.

Enforcement and Education

The grants will help pay officers to work overtime targeting speeding, seat belt violations, and other dangerous driving behaviors.

In addition, agencies will focus on locations that traffic data identifies as hot spots for impaired driving and speeding.

The funding also supports extra patrol shifts around holidays, including Memorial Day and Labor Day. Those efforts coincide with the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket campaigns.

Public education campaigns will also address impaired driving involving alcohol or drugs and the importance of using child safety restraints.

Ivey said the grants give officers resources to enforce traffic laws, discourage dangerous behavior, and help people travel safely. She also said the awards support efforts to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities.

Additional Regional Awards

Enterprise State Community College received five grants totaling about $1.58 million for the Southeast Region.

That region serves Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Clay, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Pike, Randolph, Russell, and Tallapoosa counties.

Additionally, the Mobile County Commission received five grants totaling about $1.53 million for the Southwest Region.

Those grants serve Baldwin, Bibb, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Escambia, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Pickens, Perry, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Washington, and Wilcox counties.

ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said the programs combine enforcement and education as part of a statewide road safety strategy. He also expressed ADECA’s support for the initiatives alongside Ivey.