Troopers issue 579 tickets in speeding blitz on I-65 Tuesday, August 31, 2004 GINNY MacDONALD News staff writer Alabama state troopers issued 579 traffic tickets over a 12-hour period on Interstate 65 on the first day of their crackdown against speeders.
The state numbers do not include tickets issued by sheriff's deputies and city police or those written by troopers on other interstates. Troopers wrote 374 tickets Friday for speeding on I-65. The worst offender was going 111 mph near Evergreen in Conecuh County. Last Thursday, Gov. Bob Riley announced a statewide crackdown on speeding to reduce the number of fatalities in wrecks, and that deputies and police would assist the dwindling state trooper force. Friday at 7 a.m., troopers were stationed every 10 miles along the 366-mile interstate as it stretches across the length of Alabama. The violations included 69 tickets for non-hazardous driving, such as driving without a license or without taillights. An additional 262 warning tickets, 114 for speeding, were issued. Also on I-65 during the 12-hour crackdown, troopers assisted 36 stranded motorists and worked four accidents. Col. Mike Coppage, director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety, said the threat of speeding enforcement has slowed motorists. "This morning I drove from Birmingham to Montgomery," Coppage said. He was in an unmarked car. "I set my cruise control at 72 mph and nobody passed me. It's the enforcement reputation. We have to get people to voluntarily comply to save lives." State trooper spokeswoman Martha Earnhardt said some truck drivers were ticketed, but a breakdown by vehicle type was not available Monday. There were patrols across the state Friday, but the largest state trooper focus was on I-65. Troopers will now assess where the highest number of fatal wrecks is happening and move to another highway. "It could be a section of highway or it could be a county," Coppage said. Friday, two radar units stationed on I-65 for four hours accounted for 233 speeding tickets that were issued in Montgomery County. The Birmingham trooper post, which covers I-65 in Jefferson, Shelby and Blount counties, issued 125 tickets Friday. They included 47 for speeding, 20 for seat belt violations, two for drivers not having children in restraint seats and two for following too closely. In addition, 28 warning tickets were issued. The governor has said the crackdown on speeders will go on until trooper patrols are doubled from 360 to 720. Coppage said it could take two years to hire that many troopers. ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net New AOL.com addresses are NOT allowed on this list. Get a real ISP.
