On tap for New Year’s travel in SC: Extra DUI enforcement, Highway Patrol checkpoints
With the holiday season in full swing, South Carolina and area police are putting a higher emphasis on road safety and DUI enforcement.
With New Year’s Eve falling on a weekend in particular, state troopers say they’re are taking an “all hands on deck” approach toward eliminating drunk driving, troopers said.
The S.C. Highway Patrol and State Transport Police will continue special enforcement efforts during the New Year’s holiday period through Jan. 1, the S.C. Department of Public Safety said. Part of that includes safety checkpoints through next week, including New Year’s Eve on Sunday night, said Master Trooper Gary Miller.
Troopers will be “out in force,” Miller said.
Miller said options to choose ride-sharing services and designated drivers mean there is no excuse for drinking and driving. Troopers are reminding people not to get in a car where a driver has been drinking, too, he said.
“We ask anyone to just call a ride and make sure they get home safely and others do, too,” Miller said.
Around 31% of all traffic fatalities involve an impaired driver, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Although South Carolina is 23rd in U.S. population by state with 5.2 million residents, it’s ranked second in alcohol-related vehicle fatalities with a rate of 13 deaths per 100,000 residents, according to McClatchy’s Island Packet and The Sun News.
Area law enforcement in tandem with SC
Deputies with area police agencies, including the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, will be working traffic enforcement through the new year officials said.
Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile said state and local police are stepping up traffic law enforcement with an aim to get drunk drivers off the highways. Even a small amount of alcohol is too much for anyone to get behind the wheel, Faile said.
“Alcohol impacts the brain to impair thinking, reasoning, muscle coordination, and reaction time,” Faile said.
