Troopers talk with motorists at Thanksgiving safety break locations

With fatalities statewide up by more than 100 over this time last year, the S.C. Highway Patrol will be out in full force during the holiday travel weekend to try to keep that number from going any higher.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the number of fatalities statewide was at 853, compared to 723 at the same point last year, according to Lance Cpl. Gary Miller, a Highway Patrol spokesman.

“We’ve had an increase in almost every category,” he said, adding that motorcycle deaths have seen the highest increase.

Troopers on Wednesday set up Thanksgiving safety break locations at rest stops and welcome areas around the state, including at the welcome center on Interstate 77 in the Fort Mill area. They distributed safety materials and talked with motorists about safe driving habits while traveling this weekend.

“The biggest thing is seat belts,” Miller said. “You’re 73 percent more likely to survive a crash (with a seat belt on).”

So far in 2015, 567 people have died in car crashes in which they had access to seat belts, Miller said. Troopers have confirmed 242 of those were buckled up and 286 were not. About 40 have not been confirmed.

In addition to patience and seat belt use, troopers say they’re also emphasizing maintaining enough reaction time and safe travel distance between other vehicles on the road.

“If something happens, you can control your vehicle but you cannot control what that other car is doing,” Miller said. “Your reaction time is not a stopping distance; that’s simply time to react.”

“Every available trooper” will be out on the roadways the entire holiday weekend, which officially lasts from 6 p.m. Wednesday through midnight Sunday, Miller said.

“Anything we can do to get people to simply pay attention,” he said. “If they’re seeing us out there, they’re more likely to do that self-check. If they’re doing that, it cuts down on our collisions.”

This story was originally published November 25, 2015 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Troopers talk with motorists at Thanksgiving safety break locations."