Alabama Tickets Top 26,000 in Five-Day Crackdown

Alabama state troopers issued 26,126 tickets in a five-day statewide crackdown last week aimed at reducing speeds and preventing highway deaths, the Associated Press reported.

Troopers wrote 11,931 tickets for speeding and 4,995 for seat-belt or child restraint violations. About 18,000 arrests described as hazardous were made, AP said.

The Department of Public Safety launched its five-day ``Take Back Our Highways” crackdown on Aug. 13 and put an extra 200 troopers on the roads through Aug. 17, joining about 330 officers on regular duty, AP reported.

Police also recorded fewer injuries and deaths than during the same period a year ago. There were four traffic fatalities during the crackdown, while 13 occurred during the comparable period last year, AP said.