By Staff
Gov. Bob Riley has awarded $63,932 to help law enforcement officers in 10 northwest Alabama counties, including Morgan County, identify drunken drivers and remove them from the road.
Northwest Shoals Community College, through its North Alabama Highway Safety Office, will use the grant to purchase portable breath testers for local law enforcement agencies. Equipped with these testers, officers will be able to determine whether or not a driver is under the influence of alcohol.
Citing statistics from the University of Alabama’s Critical Analysis Reporting Environment Research and Development Laboratory, highway safety officials said 1,502 alcohol-related crashes occurred in 2006 in the region which includes Colbert, Cullman, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Morgan and Winston counties. Officials expect that the breath testers will lead not only to the apprehension of more drunken drivers, but also to higher rates of conviction.