MONTGOMERY— Governor Robert Bentley has awarded more than $1.7 million in grants to sustain programs that make Alabama roads safer, reducing injuries and fatalities.
The state’s nine regional traffic safety offices and the Alabama Department of Public Safety will use the funds to conduct extra traffic safety patrols and checkpoints targeting speeding, seat belt violations and drunken driving during peak travel times throughout the year. Each traffic safety office also will purchase additional breath analyzers to ensure an adequate number of devices are available for law enforcement officers during the extra patrols.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available to the state by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 
administers a wide array of programs that support law enforcement and traffic safety, workforce development, energy conservation, water resource management, economic development and recreation.
Bentley awarded the following grants:
- $250,000 to the Alabama Department of Public Safety to pay overtime hours for state troopers taking on extra shifts during busy travel periods.
- $126,624 for the West Alabama Community Traffic Safety Office at Shelton State Community College. The office serves Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa counties.
- $190,995 for the North Alabama Highway Safety Office at Northwest Shoals Community College. The office serves Colbert, Cullman, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Marion, Morgan and Winston counties.
- $271,605 to the Etowah County Commission for the Northeast Alabama Traffic Safety Office which serves Cherokee, DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, Madison and Marshall counties.
- $169,734 to the city of Montgomery for the Central Alabama Highway Safety Office which serves Autauga, Bullock, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery and Russell counties.
- $236,861 to the Mobile County Commission for its Highway Traffic Safety Division, which serves Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties.
- $236,861 for the Greater Birmingham Highway Traffic Safety Program at Jefferson State Community College. The program serves Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Walker counties.
- $34,646 for the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission’s Highway Traffic Safety Division which serves Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Marengo, Monroe, Washington and Wilcox counties.
- $100,493 for the East Alabama Highway Safety Office at Gadsden State Community College. The office serves Calhoun, Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Randolph, Talladega and Tallapoosa counties.
- $107,481 for the Southeast Alabama Regional Highway Safety Office at Enterprise State Community College. The office serves Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties
