Drivers will want to put on their seat belts and put down their phones next week as Alabama law enforcement agencies crack down on speeding, seat belt usage and impaired and distracted driving.

The July 17-23 movement is part of Southern Shield, a campaign by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and law enforcement agencies in five states, all with the common goal of achieving a period of zero fatalities.

Cpl. Jess Thornton with the Alabama State Troopers said ADECA is rallying law enforcement’s efforts to reduce traffic crashes.

“We can get out there and we can try out best to enforce it as one agency, but when you combine all law enforcement agencies and it becomes something they’re trying to focus on — not saying we don’t focus on it already, but when there’s a conscious effort, you not only have troopers but local agencies within the state looking out for seat belt usage,” he said. “If we pound this thing home, hopefully it will get a good message out and you’ll see a decrease.”

Thornton said seat belt usage doesn’t necessarily stop wrecks from happening, but can change the outcome of the wreck.

“Not wearing a seat belt doesn’t cause a crash, but if you’re involved and not wearing one, it causes problems,” he said. “If we have 100 percent compliance, you will see the number of fatalities decrease, maybe as much as 50 percent. That would be a good thing for people to really take note of.”

The Center for Advanced Public Safety at The University of Alabama reported 789 fatal crashes in 2015, a 6.77 percent increase from 2014. There were more than 1,000 fatalities in 2016.

“What’s so bad is this year we’re ahead of last year. Today, troopers have worked crashes where 335 people have been killed compared to 332 this time last year. I didn’t think we could beat last year’s numbers. You were used to seeing a handful, but not that much,” he said.

Though different factors contributed to those numbers, Thornton said out of the 335 people killed this year, seat belts were available to 278 and only 98 people were wearing them. The other 57 fatalities were cases where seat belts weren’t available such as with pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists.

He said when troopers stop drivers and cite them, he hopes that causes them to start wearing a seat belt, and if they’re ever in a wreck, they have one on.

“We do things with the education aspect, and when that doesn’t work, you do the enforcement aspect,” Thornton said. “Normally on any given year, the troopers work fatalities where seat belts aren’t in use and the fatality rate is about 60 percent. That means in six out of 10 wrecks where someone is killed, they don’t have that seat belt on. If you see 100 percent (seat belt) compliance, that number will go down, and not by dozens, it will go down by the hundreds.”

Seat belt usage can help prevent fatal outcomes, but to cut down on wrecks altogether, drivers need to let off the accelerator, Thornton said.

“When you have speed and a crash, it makes it more severe,” he said. “Speed is always going to be in a top spot (for crash causes) and driving impaired is always going to be in a top spot.”

Another major crash contributor law enforcement is distracted drivers — and that isn’t limited to cellphone usage.

“Distracted driving is anything that takes your mind away from driving,” Thornton said. “Having passengers in the vehicle and talking to them is a distraction. Anything that keeps your attention off driving is distracted driving.”

Thornton’s advice for drivers is fairly simple: “Buckle up and slow down because we’re out there and watching. We’re going to be focused on those violations that cause a lot of injuries and a lot of deaths. Who knows, it may save a few lives, but if we save one, that would mean the world to that family.”