Tips for avoiding accidents on holiday weekend
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Staff WriterAugust 29, 2007 12:33 PMYesterday more than 24 state troopers and law enforcement officials from Alabama and Florida got together at U.S. 231 South welcome centers to encourage motor vehicle safety on the roads this Labor Day weekend.
The campaign, called Hands Across the Border, focused on safety tips such as wearing seatbelts, not driving under the influence of alcohol, and not driving aggressively. Most state troopers have witnessed horrific motor vehicle accidents that resulted in deaths because motorists did not wear seatbelts or drove recklessly.
State troopers are encouraging parents to properly use child safety seats in their cars, including teathered seats, installed properly. An article in the Dothan Eagle highlights the campaign:
Cpl. Dale Cobb, of the Alabama State Highway Patrol, said state troopers will use line patrols to enforce the traffic laws on the major highways including U.S. 431, U.S. 84 and U.S. 231. Troopers will use driver license checkpoints on county and rural highways."It's going to be an increased number of troopers on the highway because of several over time programs," Cobb said.
Cobb recalled a Coffee County accident several years ago that took the lives of three people. As Cobb approached the accident outside Enterprise he remembered the proper usage of a child safety seat in the back of a car had helped two young children survive. The accident killed their mother and grandmother, along with the driver of the second car.
Last year on Labor Day weekend there were 11 deaths from motor vehicle accidents, 5 of which were related to alcohol, and 7 of which included motorists not wearing seatbelts.
For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.