With Labor Day weekend on the horizon, Covington County is among the 17 counties that Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded grants to, to increase traffic enforcement, checkpoints and saturation patrols during the holiday.

The grant, totaling $994,403 will be used to support law-enforcement efforts to prevent injuries and fatalities on roads and highways in 17-county regions that include southeast Alabama.

The funds will support the Southeast Alabama Highway Traffic Safety Office, which covers 15 counties in southeast Alabama as well as Bibb and Tuscaloosa counties. The office supports the efforts of local law enforcement agencies to provide increased traffic enforcement, checkpoints and saturation patrols during busy travel periods such as the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

The extra enforcement will cover impaired driving and excessive speed “Hotspots” as identified by the University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Public Safety. Funds will also be used to cover overtime for officers during the national “Click It or Ticket” and “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaigns and for educational materials related to seat belt safety.

The 2018 “Drive sober or get pulled over” high visibility campaign will run from Aug. 17 through Sep. 3.

“Law enforcement presence on our roads and highways is a very effective deterrent to those breaking traffic laws, and this grant funding will ensure that officers are out on the roads during busy travel periods,” Ivey said. “However, I encourage motorists to obey all traffic laws and to be attentive so that they may prevent accidents before they happen.”

The counties covered by the Southeast Alabama Highway Traffic Safety Office are Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Montgomery, Pike, Russell and Tuscaloosa.

Enterprise State Community College serves as the fiscal agent for the Highway Safety Office.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available to the state by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“Gov. Ivey understands that these grants support law enforcement efforts to save lives,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA is pleased to stand with Gov. Ivey in supporting the members of our law enforcement agencies as they work tirelessly to keep our roads and highways safe.”

ADECA manages a wide array of programs that support law enforcement and traffic safety, workforce development, energy conservation, water resource management, economic development and recreation.