More than a dozen motorists died in Alabama traffic crashes over the Christmas and New Year holidays, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency announced Tuesday.

The extended holiday travel period began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, and ended at midnight Sunday, Jan. 1. During that time, 14 people were killed – 11 drivers and three passengers.

Those number reflect only the crashes worked by state troopers, not those worked by city and county law enforcement agencies.

Officials said all of the victims were in vehicles equipped with seat belts but nine of them were not using the seat belts. In one of the deaths, it is not known whether the seat belt was in used.

That fatal crashes happened in Baldwin, Chambers, Chilton, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Jefferson, Limestone, Marshall, Monroe and Tuscaloosa counties.

“Our troopers did a phenomenal job this year actively patrolling and working numerous high-visibility details in order to reduce crashes and save lives,’’ said Colonel Jimmy Helms, director of ALEA’s Department of Public Safety.

“However, they were tasked with notifying the loved ones of these 14 individuals following the fatal crashes over the holiday season,’’ Helms said. “This is one of the most difficult parts of our job and we at ALEA offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones.”

During the holiday season, ALEA also promoted its “12 Days of Safety” initiative to reiterate traffic safety and encourage safe driving behaviors through a variety of enforcement activities, including driver license and equipment check points, to curb such deadly behaviors as driving under the influence, driving while distracted, not buckling up, speeding and following too closely.

For all of 2022, troopers worked 19 fewer traffic fatalities than in the previous year.

Troopers investigated a total of 31,990 traffic crashes, which resulted in 10,914 injuries and 586 fatalities reported.

Crashes declined by 2,185 and injuries were down 646 in 2022 from the 2021 totals.

“We would like to thank the motoring public for their diligence and continuous efforts in assisting law enforcement, which enabled ALEA Troopers to reduce the number of traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities, ultimately making Alabama roadways safer,’’ said ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor.

“However, this extended holiday travel period still reminds us that we need to remain constant in our resolve to create an environment of safety on our state’s roadways,’’ Taylor said. “Unfortunately, this year there were 14 lives tragically lost.”