This week, as you probably already know, Alabama State Troopers will be keeping an extra-watchful eye on our interstates and state routes as part of the &8220;Take Back Our Highways&8221; initiative.

Undoubtedly, just the mere mention of this program will cause much grumbling among people who plan to be on the road during that time.

And there are always those who feel that they have been wronged at one time or another by having to pay an undeserved ticket.

But the fact is, we have all broken the rules of the road at one time or another. Most of us have gotten away with speeding and reckless driving when we should have gotten a ticket.

The most useful thing we can do on the roads during the holiday season is to join State Troopers in taking back our highways. We can do this by being courteous to other drivers on the road at all times, even when they do not return that courtesy.

We shouldn&8217;t drive more carefully this week just to avoid getting a ticket. If that&8217;s the only motive behind our driving practices, then maybe we need to take the state driver&8217;s test all over again.