County traffic safety offices receive $1.89 million in grant money | News

Nine regional traffic safety offices were awarded a percentage of a $1.89 million grant to coordinate campaigns dedicated to improving highway safety.

Given to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the money will help enforce the state’s speeding, safety belt, child restraint and DUI laws.

Governor Bob Riley announced in a statement the funds will be used to make improvements to the already safe roads around the state.

“Our roads are the safest they’ve been in decades, but state and local officials are dedicated to making further improvements,” he said. “I commend each and every one of our brave law enforcement officers for their efforts to save lives and remove dangerous drivers from our roadways.”  

Here is a breakdown of where the money went:

$209,158 for the West Alabama Community Traffic Safety Office at Shelton State Community College. The office serves Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa counties.

$372,224 for the North Alabama Highway Safety Office at Northwest Shoals Community College. The office serves Colbert, Cullman, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Marion, Morgan and Winston counties.

$232,974 to the Etowah County Commission for the Northeast Alabama Traffic Safety Office which serves Cherokee, DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, Madison and Marshall counties.

$183,444 to the city of Montgomery for the Central Alabama Highway Safety Office which serves Autauga, Bullock, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery and Russell counties.

$207,394 to the Mobile County Commission for their Highway Traffic Safety Division which serves Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties.

$237,100 for the Greater Birmingham Highway Traffic Safety Program at Jefferson State Community College. The program serves Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby St. Clair and Walker counties.

$91,013 to the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission’s Highway Traffic Safety Division which serves Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Marengo, Monroe, Washington and Wilcox counties.
$160,856 for the East Alabama Highway Safety Office at Gadsden State Community College. The office serves Calhoun, Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Randolph, Talladega and Tallapoosa counties.

$195,832 for the Southeast Alabama Regional Highway Safety Office at Enterprise State Community College. The office serves Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties

An additional grant of $211,400 will help the North Alabama Highway Safety Office continue a statewide child passenger safety program. The program focuses on increasing child restraint awareness and expanding the number of certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians in each of the nine highway safety regions