THE ISSUE: The state needs more troopers to convince drivers that speeding and DUI aren't worth the risk.
On Alabama's highways, speed kills, and enforcement saves lives.
Yet, getting drivers to slow down - as well as keeping them from driving drunk - is easier said than done. The same with putting more state troopers on the road to enforce traffic laws and cut down on speeding and driving under the influence.
Last year was an especially deadly one in Jefferson County. The 112 people killed were a record for the county, a 60 percent increase over the 70 killed in 2005 and easily surpassing the previous record of 99 set in 2004.
Final numbers for the state aren't in yet, but a record number of fatalities statewide is possible as well.
Authorities blame the usual suspects - speeding, DUI, inattentive drivers and failing to yield the right of way.
Which brings us back to enforcement. There's no escaping the fact that Alabama has far too few state troopers to adequately patrol roads, despite efforts in recent years to increase trooper rolls.
Gov. Bob Riley has increased the number of state trooper classes, boosted trooper pay and stepped up recruitment to put more troopers on the job. Those help. But when the state starts with only a little more than half the number of troopers it needs, there's a lot of ground to make up. Alabama is still short hundreds of troopers.
It shows up in more fatalities and a reputation for being a state where motorists can put "the hammer down." Several years ago, The News reported that 47 percent of state highway deaths the previous year were due to speeding, a figure that was more than double the rates of neighboring states Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi and Florida.
It's clear that to reduce the carnage on our roads, we need more flashing blue lights on those roads.
"It is no secret that speed is the No. 1 factor when it comes to fatal accidents," says Jefferson County sheriff's spokesman Randy Christian. "People know that. Getting them to slow down and believe that it can happen to them is another matter."
That's why enforcement is so important. But the threat of a ticket isn't much of a deterrent if speeders and drunken drivers know there is little chance they will be caught.
Somehow, Alabama must recruit, train and pay enough troopers to change the state's reputation to one in which drivers know they need to ease off the pedal rather than putting it to the floor.
