Traffic enforcement event sees nearly 90 citations in two-day period

The Tuscaloosa Police Department and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Highway Patrol Division conducted a recent two-day traffic detail aimed at reducing dangerous driving in Tuscaloosa. During the hours of the Sept. 2 and Sept. 3 detail, officers issued 86 citations to 70 drivers.

TPD and ALEA are planning on more of these events over the next several months, and officers are on the lookout for risky driving in areas where wrecks and speeding are common.

“Our goal is to reduce the number of accidents we’re having and increase the safety of drivers, especially on football game weekends when we have so many more drivers on the roads,” said TPD Capt. Billy Hallman, commander of the department’s Traffic Division. “We hope this will promote safe driving habits, and ultimately prevent wrecks with serious injuries or fatalities.”

On Friday, officers assigned to TPD’s traffic division and Alabama State Troopers conducted high-visibility patrol of Interstate 359 northbound between 1 and 4:30 p.m. In all, 60 drivers were written 74 citations.

Saturday’s detail focused on I-359 and downtown Tuscaloosa between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., following the Alabama-Utah State football game. Ten drivers were written 12 tickets.

On each night, drivers were ticketed for racing and exhibition of speed in the area of I-359 and Skyland Boulevard. Vehicles involved in those incidents were impounded.

Also on Saturday, an ALEA trooper attempted to stop a Ford Mustang for going 131 mph on I-359 southbound, where the speed limit is 65 mph. The driver refused to stop, and led the trooper on a brief pursuit that went south on Alabama Highway 69 South and onto Old Greensboro Road and Canterbury Drive. He was traveling at high speeds and crashed into an embankment as he tried to navigate a traffic circle and turn onto Wakefield Drive.

The driver ran from the scene, but his car was towed. ALEA is still investigating the case.

Results of the two-day patrol include:

Friday, Sept. 2, 1-4:30 p.m.

• Tickets Issued:
  • Speeding: 62
  • Racing: 1
  • Insurance violation: 6
  • Other driver’s license violations: 3
  • Driving with a revoked license: 1
  • Other violations: 1
• Total traffic stops: 60
• Total enforcement activity: 74

Saturday, Sept. 3, 11 p.m.-3 a.m.

• Tickets Issued:
  • Running red light: 2
  • Racing: 1
  • Speeding: 4
  • Exhibition of speed: 1
  • Insurance violation: 4
  • Other violations: 1
• Total traffic stops: 10
• Total enforcement activity: 12