Alabama state troopers have joined with county and municipal police departments in a campaign for the Department of Public Safety's "Taking Back Our Highways" program.

From now through Thanksgiving, they will be working full force to protect you during an especially busy holiday travel week.

While getting ticketed is something we all hate, it's all part of an effort to keep our highways safe.

Trooper Anthony Ellis of the Dothan Trooper Post said, "We had a blitz "the fourth of july, one week long blitz in August and I think this is our third or fourth if I remember correctly."

Troopers will be working overtime looking for speeding, expired tags, seatbelt violations and driving under the influence.

This week's trooper blitz is the fourth campain of the Alabama Taking back our highways program and they are focusing on catching drunk drivers.

"There will be all available troopers will be on the road assignment that don't usually work highway patrol will be out for the remainder of the week and all the way through the thanksgiving holiday" said Ellis.

The most recent trooper blitz this past August issued more than 3,400 citations across the state each day, from 1,600 speeding tickets to 20 DUI's.

Ellis said, "Usually thanksgiving is one of our busiest holidays and with gas prices droppin' I believe the traffic will pick up and they'll be a good deal of traffic on the road."

In addiition to extra patrollers, nine mobile DUI testing labs will be stationed at various checkpoints. These will allow drunk drivers and their vehicles to be taken off the roads quicker.

The previous three blitzes this year reported 49 accidents, 25 DUI's and more than 2,400 citations.

There will be a fifth state-wide traffic crackdown from December 17th through Christmas Eve.