Traffic blitz scheduled for July 4th holiday

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July 3, 2009

By Patrick McCreless The Cullman Times Fri Jul 03, 2009, 08:02 AM CDT

The sagging economy and high gas prices may keep many motorists off the roads during the Fourth of July holiday, but not area law enforcement.

Local and state law enforcement agencies plan to be out in force over the holiday weekend.

“We’re encouraging people to be safe,” said Cullman County Sheriff Tyler Roden. “Enjoy the holiday, but let’s not do things just because we think bad things won’t happen to us.”

Roden said his deputies would be out on patrol searching for speeders and drunk drivers on Saturday and Sunday.

“And don’t be surprised if you come along a driver license checkpoint,” Roden said.

According to a press release from the Alabama Department of Public Safety, state troopers will be out in force during the 78-hour travel period from 6 p.m. Thursday through midnight Sunday. Troopers will conduct special enforcement operations such as line patrols, checkpoints and laser speed details.

Last year during the 78-hour Fourth of July travel period, 16 people died in traffic crashes across the state. At least three of the deaths were alcohol-related and 11 of the crash victims were not wearing seat belts.

Cullman Police Chief Kenny Culpepper said his officers would perform extra patrols on Saturday and Sunday nights, but did not expect any real problems.

“The Fourth is always quiet for us as far as major events because most people are going off to Smith Lake or other places to enjoy the holiday,” Culpepper said.

Culpepper said the department’s main problem during the holiday is noise complaints about fireworks.

“There is a city ordinance prohibiting the shooting of fireworks in the city limits and we do enforce that,” Culpepper said.

Law enforcement agents will have plenty to do this weekend, but they will probably not deal with as many motorists as they have in previous years.

According to AAA-Alabama, the number of Americans traveling on vacation this Fourth of July holiday weekend will decrease 1.9 percent from 2008 with approximately 37.1 million travelers taking a trip of 50 or more miles away from home. Last year, 37.8 million Americans traveled during the same period, a 10.5 percent decline from the 42.3 million travelers who vacationed in 2007.

AAA-Alabama statistics indicate the current average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Cullman is $2.53. Last year, the average price was $3.94 per gallon. The current national average price for regular gasoline is $2.64 a gallon.

“Many Americans remain cautious about the outlook for their personal finances and these attitudes are reflected in the slight decline in travel we are forecasting for the upcoming holiday weekend," said AAA-Alabama Spokesman Clay Ingram.

‰ Patrick McCreless can be reached by e-mail at patrickm@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.

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Traffic blitz scheduled for July 4th holiday

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