Alabama Will Open Roads for Fourth of July Weekend, Offers Holiday Driving Tips

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Transportation vowed to ease traffic this Fourth of July holiday weekend by promising not temporary road closures due to construction. The Department of Transportation hopes that opening travel lanes will help revelers arrive at Alabama’s beaches, lakes, and vacation areas safely even though the DOT will not remove construction materials or remove work zone speed limit restrictions according to a report appearing in the Gadsden Times. Alabama traffic authorities are bracing for a busy Independence Day weekend and have advised travelers to expect heavy volume from vacationers. *

The Alabama Department of Transportation reminded drivers that all motorists must drive soberly, buckle their seatbelts, and remain alert behind the wheel at all times. Motorists traveling to Alabama must be aware that the state passed a mandatory seatbelt law earlier in 2019. Now, state law requires everyone riding in a motor vehicle to wear a seatbelt.

The Department of Transportation offered several other pieces of advice for a safe and enjoyable Independence Day respite. The DOT wants travelers to remember that 60% of people who died in crashes on freeways in Alabama did not wear a seatbelt at the time of the crash. While it is impossible to say whether all of those killed would have survived if they wore a seatbelt when they were involved in a car crash, the chances of survival increase dramatically with seatbelt use.

The DOT also reminded people who planned on celebrating the Fourth with some alcoholic beverages to name a sober driver. It is no secret that drunk driving leads to fatalities. In 2017, 90 drunk driving crashes in Alabama killed 198 people. Those statistics also include people driving after taking drugs, either prescription or illicit.

Finally, the DOT recommends that drivers should slow down. The chance of perishing in a motor vehicle accident increases dramatically as speed increases. 

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Source:https://www.gadsdentimes.com/news/20190702/aldot-offers-safe-driving-tips