July 16, 2003
CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8755
COLUMBIA - The South Carolina Department of Public Safety wrapped up its first Independence Day Sober or Slammer campaign with 28 fewer fatalities than last year at this time, despite this past deadly weekend on South Carolina roads when 16 people died.
The first Sober or Slammer campaign was held during the Christmas holidays in December 2002. The Independence Day campaign was the second wave of the SOS campaign, conducted during a time when drinking and driving is usually at its peak.
State law enforcement combined resources across the state to conduct public safety checkpoints and saturation patrols. Television and radio public service announcements about the consequences of drinking and driving ran during the enforcement period
Other statistical highlights from the campaign included: 493 driving under the influence charges, 74 drug charges, 156 driving under suspension, 14,229 speeding, 70 reckless driving and 62 fugitives apprehended. (These numbers are preliminary; not all local law enforcement agencies have reported results to DPS).
Four people died during the actual July 4 travel weekend compared to 22 last year. During the two-week enforcement period this year, 44 people died on South Carolina highways compared to 72 during the comparable time period in 2002. The state is still trailing behind last year in total number of fatalities – 463 compared to 571.
“We are pleased to see the fatality numbers for this heavily traveled period improve from last year, but this past weekend reminds us that people are still making deadly decisions behind the wheel,” said Highway Patrol Col. Russell Roark. “Simple actions by drivers and passengers, such as buckling up and slowing down, are the only way to reverse the deadly trend on our highways.”
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