S.C. aims to keep highway deaths low during holidays
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Over the next two weeks, AAA predicts more than 100 million Americans will be on the roads during what’s expected to be the second-busiest end-of-year travel period in more than two decades.
It arrives as new figures show South Carolina roads are the safest they’ve been in several years.
Apparently, that’s if you’re inside a car, because a separate study just found South Carolina is among the 10 deadliest states for pedestrians.
But overall traffic fatalities are at their lowest in years and 130 fewer deaths than at this point last year.
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“That’s 130 of our family , of our friends, our coworkers, our neighbors, who will be home for the holidays,” said Phil Riley, highway safety and justice programs director with the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Starting this month, reminders of the importance of driving safety can be spotted across the state.
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety is bringing back the “Highways or Dieways” campaign that first debuted more than 30 years ago.
It’ll be featured on billboards, on videoboards and in public service announcements.
Traffic safety enforcement will also pick up this week as the South Carolina Highway Patrol begins its “Sober or Slammer” campaign to target impaired driving over the holiday travel period.
That’ll mean more law enforcement on the roads and DUI checkpoints.
Troopers remind drivers that collisions and deaths are often preventable.
“They are preventable when people make a choice to not wear a seat belt, or they make a choice to drink and drive, or they make a choice to speed excessively or taking their eyes off the road to text or scroll on their cellphone,” said Col. Christopher Williamson, South Carolina Highway Patrol commander.
The Department of Transportation says it’ll restrict the number of construction lane closures during the busiest parts of the holiday travel period.
But there will still be work happening on shoulders and just off the travel lanes, so drivers should be careful.
“That’s what distracted driving or impaired driving becomes a severe issue because those drivers could drift off the side of the road and strike a road worker pretty easily in today’s climate, especially with as much roadwork as we have happening across the state,” said Christy Hall of the South Carolina Departmenmt of Transportation.
So what’s behind that drop in traffic fatalities so far this year?
State leaders attribute it to driver education, engineering of safer roads and greater enforcement of traffic rules.
“Let’s all work together to make this a safe and happy holiday season and to carry that success into 2024,” said Robert Woods, director of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
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