Independence Day celebrations are scheduled across the nation to honor the 250th birthday of the United States of America, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) will be ready.
This year's Fourth of July holiday weekend is expected to be historically busy, and ALEA Troopers and Special Agents will be highly visible as they protect public safety on Alabama's roadways and waterways.
With increased travel, gatherings, and recreational activity anticipated statewide, ALEA Captain Jeremy Burkett offered this advice:
BE PREPARED
"Safety's kind of got to be built into everything that you do, from planning the trip, things you're going to be doing during the trip, and even on your way home. Having a plan can mean a lot of different things depending on what you're going to do."
Burkett used the example of a vehicle becoming disabled during travel.
"We get out there, we're going to have multiple people in the vehicle. We have an emergency. The vehicle breaks down. Now we're on the side of the interstate and it's 95 degrees outside. Are we prepared to be on the side of the road for maybe an hour with five, six, or seven people in the car, or small children in the car? Those are the things that we want people to kind of build into their plan on the front end."
SAFETY FIRST, ESPECIALLY ON THE WATER
Alabama's waterways are one of the state's most precious resources, but Burkett wants people to remember the importance of safety.
"We're extremely blessed to have a multitude of waterways for people to go out and enjoy: rivers, lakes, the Gulf Coast. We've already seen issues on the waterways. That's why planning is so important."
Burkett says there are several important things to keep in mind when preparing to be out on the water.
"The first one is your personal flotation device. We want you to begin to store that personal flotation device in your truck, or your automobile, or your SUV. That way, soon as you get out, you're putting it on. Sometimes people keep them in the vessel; there's nothing wrong with that, you need some throwables. But the reality is, you've got to walk down a boat ramp, you've got to go down a dock, and at some point, you're going from somewhere to get into the boat and then you're going to put the life vest on. What happens to you in between? Oftentimes docks get wet, the landings are wet, and we see people having these falls where they're hitting their head and becoming unconscious. One of the things that we're really driving home this year: put that personal flotation device on and put it on early."
Burkett mentioned another important piece of water safety equipment: the emergency stop, or "kill switch."
"Another thing that we've seen a lot of issues with in the past is people operating vessels and they don't have the emergency kill switch attached. That's just one of the things that's going to keep you and everybody else in that vessel safe. Because at some point, if the driver hits a wake or a bump or runs aground, whatever the situation may be, and he or she loses control of the vehicle, it's gonna cut it off. It's going to cut that motor. It's going to cut the jet ski off. That's another thing that's going to help keep that operator and the people in that vessel a lot safer."
MAKE A PLAN FOR A SAFE RIDE HOME
Burkett urges everyone to make a plan to get home safely.
"For our 4th of July travel period last year, we had 12 people lose our lives in trooper investigated crashes during that holiday travel period, and a lot of those situations went back to individuals being under the influence of alcohol.
That's an issue that we see. Now, we're going to be prepared from an enforcement standpoint. We're going to have campaigns out. We're going to have individuals, troopers and special agents across the state, set up or prepared. If they see someone driving impaired, they're going to stop them, and if they are above the legal limit, that's going to be an arrest. That's not to try to ruin somebody's 250th. That's just to keep them safe."
Burkett included other ways that drivers and passengers can be safe on Alabama's roadways during the holiday period.
"Put that seatbelt on, regardless if you're a driver or a passenger. Make sure that you're following the speed limit. Avoid distractions. We just got to put those cell phones down."
CELEBRATE RESPONSIBLY
The Fourth of July is traditionally a very busy time for emergency services.
Burkett doesn't think that has to be the case.
"We think a lot of those factors go back to the amount of people that are impaired. If you want to go out and celebrate, do it responsibly.
There's a ton of fun to be had, but there is a lot of inherent risk built into water and water activities. At some point, if you leave a vessel, you leave a paddle board, jet ski, whatever it is, and you go below that water surface, there is a chance you could drown."
BE VIGILANT
ALEA and other law enforcement agencies will be out in force during the holiday weekend, but Burkett urges travelers to be aware and contact emergency services if they see something unsafe.
"If you see unsafe activities, you see somebody you think is impaired operating a vessel, call 911 and report it immediately. If you see somebody that's endangering their life or somebody else's, whatever the situation may be, call 911."
Burkett and his fellow ALEA Troopers will be patrolling all weekend as they try to ensure that all Independence Day celebrations end with travelers returning home safely to family and friends.
