By Staff
From Press, Staff Reports
MONTGOMERY – Governor Don Siegelman has awarded $80,000 to increase highway safety, reduce vehicle accidents and save live sin 12 southeast Alabama counties, including Escambia County.
Siegelman notified Ronald C. Owen, chief executive officer of Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, that the grant had been approved. Benfiting from the grant are Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Pike and Russell Counties.
"This program makes Alabama highways safer for everyone," Siegelman said. "Our goal is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities by taking drunk drivers off the road and ensuring that motorists obey speed limits and mandatory seat belt and child restraint laws."
Funds will be used to encourage the use of seat belts and child restraints and discourage drinking and driving and other unlawful activities that contribute to traffic accidents and deaths. Southeast Alabama Medical Center, which provide several public safety programs in the area, plans a series of educational events and promotions to instill safe driving habits. Events are planned around major holidays and school vacations when motorists are traveling through the Wiregrass area en route to the Gulf Coast.
In addition, funds will be used to identify and take steps to correct unsafe intersections and roads throughout the area.
Siegelman awarded the grant from funds made available to the state through a program of the U.S Department of Transportation. He has designated the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to administer the grant.