FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 16, 2001

CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8755

SCDPS EXPANDS HIGHWAY SAFETY EDUCATION EFFORT

COLUMBIA - The South Carolina Department of Public Safety today announced that it is expanding its highway safety education efforts to include a statewide law enforcement perspective. Maj. Joe Hood will be assigned from Highway Patrol Headquarters to the Office of Highway Safety and will lead this new coordinated education and enforcement effort.

Hood’s new responsibilities will include overseeing the occupant protection program, including the former Click It or Ticket program. In this capacity he will work closely with local law enforcement agencies to increase South Carolina’s seat belt usage rate. In addition, Hood will coordinate and lead all highway safety public outreach support efforts.

The primary mission of DPS is to ensure the safety of the traveling public on South Carolina’s roads and highways. This mission is accomplished through both the enforcement efforts of the Highway Patrol and the public education and outreach efforts of the Office of Highway Safety. By adding an enforcement component, the Office of Highway Safety will be able to carry out its educational efforts in a more effective and purposeful manner.

"The regular participation of a command level trooper in the daily activities of the Office of Highway Safety will bring a much needed statewide law enforcement perspective to their educational efforts," said Col. Mike Kelley, Highway Patrol commander.

Kelley selected Hood to serve as the Highway Patrol highway safety education liaison because of his extensive law enforcement experience. A member of the Highway Patrol since 1972, Hood spent the first four years of his career as a road enforcement trooper before being assigned to the traffic safety education section within the former Department of Highways and Public Transportation. He worked in this capacity for 10 years before transferring to Highway Patrol Headquarters where he has since served in several management positions, most recently as Field Operations major over the Upstate region.

"Maj. Hood will bring a seasoned perspective to the issues we face in making our roads safer," said Max Young, Director of the Office of Highway Safety. "So far this year, we have had 95 fewer people die on our highways. We hope to see this trend continue by expanding our efforts to educate the public on highway safety."

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JB/100/01

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