October 16, 2026

Ivey Awards $6.6 Million in Traffic Safety Grants

By J. Thomas Wade
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News

October 16, 2026

MONTGOMERY, Ala. Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded more than $6.6 million in traffic safety grants to pay for extra law enforcement patrols and public education campaigns aimed at reducing crashes, injuries and deaths on Alabama roads. About $1.53 million of that will flow through the Mobile County Commission to serve 19 counties in southwest Alabama, including Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia, Clarke, Washington, Monroe, Conecuh and Choctaw.

The money goes to the state’s four regional traffic safety offices, which will use it to fund overtime for officers targeting dangerous driving behaviors such as speeding and seat belt violations. The grants will also pay for public education on the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and the importance of using child safety restraints.

“These grants provide our law enforcement officers with resources to enforce traffic laws, discourage dangerous driving behaviors and help people travel safely on Alabama’s roads,” Ivey said. “I am pleased to award these grants supporting efforts to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities.”

How the money will be used

Law enforcement agencies in each region will be eligible to receive funding to step up enforcement in problem areas in their communities. The grants will target locations that data show are hot spots for impaired driving and speeding.

The funds will also pay for extra shifts that boost patrols during certain times of the year, including around Labor Day and Memorial Day, in conjunction with two national public education campaigns:

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, which focuses on impaired driving
Click It or Ticket, which focuses on seat belt use

Both campaigns are coordinated nationally by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which pairs high-visibility enforcement with advertising and outreach so drivers know officers are watching.

Where the $6.6 million is going

The grants are administered through the Community Traffic Safety Program, or CTSP, which divides Alabama into four regions. Each regional office received five grants.

Southwest Region: Mobile County Commission

The Mobile County Commission received five grants totaling about $1.53 million for the CTSP’s Southwest Region. The grants serve Baldwin, Bibb, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Escambia, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Pickens, Perry, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Washington and Wilcox counties.

North Central Region: Franklin County Commission

The Franklin County Commission received five grants totaling more than $1.8 million for the North Central Region, serving Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Walker and Winston counties.

East Central Region: Central Alabama Community College

Central Alabama Community College received five grants totaling more than $1.7 million for the East Central Region, serving Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Coosa, Elmore, Etowah, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Talladega counties.

Southeast Region: Enterprise State Community College

Enterprise State Community College received five grants totaling about $1.58 million for the Southeast Region, serving Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Clay, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Pike, Randolph, Russell and Tallapoosa counties.

What it means for South Alabama

For drivers in Mobile and Baldwin counties, the grants mean more officers on overtime patrols during the busiest and most dangerous travel periods, particularly around holiday weekends. The Southwest Region covers a large stretch of the state, from the Gulf Coast north through the Black Belt to Tuscaloosa County, and includes heavily traveled corridors such as Interstate 10 and Interstate 65 along with rural two-lane highways where serious crashes are common.

Local agencies across the region, from city police departments to county sheriff’s offices, can apply through the regional office for funding to put extra officers on the road in areas where crash data points to problems with speeding or impaired driving.

Federal money, state administration

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants using funds made available by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Federal highway safety grants are distributed to states each year to support programs that address behaviors such as impaired driving, speeding, distracted driving and failure to use seat belts and child restraints. In Alabama, ADECA’s Law Enforcement and Traffic Safety Division manages much of that work.

“These programs focus on enforcement and education and are part of a strategy to make roads safer throughout the state,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA joins Gov. Ivey in support of these initiatives to enhance traffic safety.”

ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, victim programs, economic development, water resource management, energy conservation and recreation.

Safety reminders for drivers

The behaviors targeted by these grants are among the leading contributors to serious and fatal crashes nationwide. Traffic safety officials consistently urge drivers to:

Buckle up on every trip, in every seat.
Make sure children ride in car seats or booster seats appropriate for their age and size.
Never drive impaired by alcohol or drugs; plan a sober ride ahead of time.
Obey posted speed limits and slow down in work zones and bad weather.
Put the phone down while driving.

Drivers can expect to see stepped-up enforcement in the months ahead, especially around holidays, as agencies put the new grant money to work.

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