Alabama State Troopers announced this week “they will make every effort this Christmas season to protect the lives and promote the safety of Alabama motorists through additional enforcement activities.”

In an effort to do so, Troopers announced they would be increasing patrols throughout the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season.

“It is one of the busiest and most exciting times of year, and that seasonal hustle and bustle is evident on the state’s roadways as many of us will travel more between now and New Year’s,” Col. Hugh B. McCall, director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety, said in a department release. “We all must make safety a priority — no matter how rushed we feel.”

Troopers will step up efforts to include extra patrols, sobriety checkpoints, line patrols and speed detection. Troopers also will focus on violations that often contribute to crashes, including speeding, following too closely, driver distraction and improper passing.

These additional enforcement activities will be made possible through grant funding from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and the Alabama Department of Transportation.