From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY — The Thanksgiving holiday travel period saw a slight increase in traffic fatalities in Alabama, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
The agency issued a news release stating that they investigated 11 traffic deaths throughout the period of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27, to midnight Sunday, Dec. 1. There were seven traffic deaths during the same period in 2018; however, the agency said that they have worked 20 fewer traffic fatalities in 2019 than in 2018.
According to the release, the fatal accidents occurred in Baldwin, Cherokee, Escambia, Hale, Madison, Morgan, St. Clair and Wilcox counties.
Of the 11 killed, four individuals were not wearing seatbelts. Two pedestrians and a motorcyclists were killed, as well.
The Alabama seat belt law states that every occupant needs to have a seatbelt properly fastened any time the vehicle is in motion. Failure for a backseat passenger to wear a seat belt is a secondary violation, which means that a ticket will only be written if the vehicle is stopped for reason.