SC troopers start anti-DUI push for Memorial Day travel; AAA expects high road volume
Police and travel officials in South Carolina are expecting a much higher number of drivers on state roads for the Memorial Day weekend this year after COVID-19 hampered travel plans in 2020.
After the coronavirus downturn in 2020, troopers with the S.C. Highway Patrol are again pushing an anti-DUI campaign statewide to try and keep roads and travelers safe as interstates and even rural roads fill up.
“We are coming out from COVID mandates, people want to get out and have fun,” said Master Trooper Gary Miller of the S.C. Highway Patrol. “We know and expect this. People have been home and they want to make trips.”
Miller said basic safety are the best rules - the driver needs to be sober, attentive, and focused on the road. Texting while driving is a no-no, Miller said.
“Put the phone down,” Miller said. “Drive the car. Pay attention to what’s going on around you. Make sure everybody is buckled up. Stay within the posted speed limit.”
Miller said above all, don’t drive while drinking or under the influence of drugs. Troopers will be out in force statewide through the holiday weekend enforcing laws against DUI, Miller said.
The patrol’s “Sober or Slammer” campaign will be enforced this weekend and all summer, Miller said.
“Impairment begins at the first drink,” Miller said.
“100 Deadly Days of Summer”
The Memorial Day weekend starts the “100 Deadly Days of Summer” that police agencies across the country use to focus on safe driving and anti-DUI campaigns.
“We expect at least a 30 percent or more increase in traffic this Memorial Day over 2020 with most COVID restrictions gone,” Miller said. “With more traffic comes more need for safety and the need to keep drivers sober.”
York County has had almost 2,000 crashes in 2021, Miller said. There have been 18 fatalities so far in York County in 2021, compared to 14 in 2020 through the same weekend. In 2019, before COVID, there were 24 fatalities from January through Memorial Day in York County.
“The only way to keep the fatality numbers down is for every driver to be alert and focus on the road,” Miller said.
The York County Sheriff’s Office traffic enforcement team, in conjunction with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Network that links town, city and county police for checkpoints, will be patrolling through Monday to try and ensure safe roads for travelers, said Trent Faris, sheriff’s office spokesman.
Gas prices up - so what?
Nationwide, AAA expects a 60 percent increase in travelers on roads this Memorial Day weekend over 2020, said Tiffany Wright, spokesperson for AAA Carolinas. More than 600,000 people in the state are expected to drive for a weekend trip, Wright said.
The huge spike in travel comes as gas prices are more than $1.25 a gallon higher than the same week in 2020, according to AAA. But even with the price increase to levels around $3 a gallon not seen since Memorial Day 2014, AAA expects drivers to fill roads.
“A year’s worth of pent-up demand is being unleashed this summer,” said Debbie Hass, vice-president of travel for AAA.
Myrtle Beach in South Carolina is the third-busiest road trip destination in the country for this weekend, Hass said in a statement. Only Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla. expect more road-trippers this weekend, Haas said.
But what about the gas lines from last week?
The hack of the Colonial Pipeline caused gas lines and shortages around York, Chester, and Lancaster counties and across both South Carolina and North Carolina. Many stations had limited fuel or no fuel for days.
While the pipeline is back in operation and refueling to stations is in progress, some stations in the southeast continue to experience supply strain, said Wright of AAA. This is likely to extend into the holiday weekend but motorists will still be able to fill-up, Wright said.
About 26 percent of gas stations in South Carolina are still reporting some outages, according to gasbuddy.com.
This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 6:36 AM.
