The South Carolina Highway Patrol and SC Department of Natural Resources are combining efforts and working with local law enforcement to save lives on the roadways and waterways this summer through enforcement and public outreach.
The SCDPS Office of Highway Safety announced that motorists will also be seeing Highways or Dieways spots airing to support its Buckle Up, SC campaign. Last summer, 281 people died on the roadways over the summer months. Of those deaths, 117 of the 210 vehicle occupants were not wearing safety belts. The primary causes of the collisions were: 1. DUI; 2. Too Fast for Conditions; and 3. Running off the Road.
“Now — more than ever —it’s important that law enforcement pool resources and this combined effort is simply the most effective way to keep people safe on our highways and on the water,” said Highway Patrol Col. Kenny Lancaster Jr. “Tourist and in-state travel always rises during the summer months and historically, so do collisions and fatalities. Often those fatalities – on water and land – involve an impaired driver.”
DNR announces that 15 people have died on South Carolina waterways so far this year compared to 11 people who died in drowning and boating accidents the entire year of 2009.
“We have already seen more boating deaths this year than we did all last year on the water,” said SCDNR Col. Alvin Taylor. “That concerns us and we want to do everything we can to encourage boaters to wear life vests and to understand that boating under the influence can have the same deadly consequences as it does behind the wheel of a vehicle on the road.”
Col. Taylor said that his department will be looking out for boaters operating in a reckless manner, including speed and driving while intoxicated and not wearing personal flotation devices.
SCDNR and SCDPS introduced two public service announcements today that will begin airing around the state over Memorial Day weekend and are also slated to air July 4 and Labor Day weekends. About 100 billboards have gone up statewide announcing the enforcement efforts
Memorial Day travel will begin this Friday at 6 p.m. Last year, seven people died on the highways during this time with more than 500 crashes statewide. Memorial Day is known is the official beginning of summer, which runs until Labor Day.
