FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 6

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 6, 2003
CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8755

FATALITY REPORT: DPS REPORTS THREE KILLED
ON SOUTH CAROLINA HIGHWAYS JAN. 3-5

COLUMBIA -- The South Carolina Department of Public Safety announces a preliminary number of three people killed on South Carolina highways from Friday, January 3, 2003, at 6 p.m. until Sunday, January 5, at midnight.

A Hartsville teen-ager died in a single vehicle wreck on Jan. 3, and a 46-year-old woman died Sunday when her vehicle struck a tree. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the possibility that alcohol may have been involved in a head-on collision in Berkeley County that claimed the life of a 27-year-old man.

As of January 5, 2003, eight people had died on South Carolina highways, compared to eight last year. Of the eight motor vehicle occupants who have died in 2003, six were not wearing seat belts.

Interstates	0
US routes, SC routes and secondary roads	3
Seat belt used	0
Seat belt not used	2 (1 unknown)
Seat belt usage not applicable	0

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety includes the Criminal Justice Academy, Division of Motor Vehicles, Highway Patrol, Office of Highway Safety, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services and Office of Justice Programs. DPS has more than 2,600 employees in offices statewide. Our mission is to ensure public safety by protecting and serving the people of South Carolina and its visitors.

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SG/4/2003