January 2, 2004
CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8409
COLUMBIA -- The South Carolina Department of Public Safety announces a preliminary number of 955 people killed on South Carolina highways for the 2003 year. That compares to 1,055 people who died on South Carolina’s roads in 2002.
The final number is subject change in the coming weeks because of reporting procedures. A more complete report will be released in the coming months.
However, the New Year’s travel holiday, which stretches from Wednesday at 6 p.m. until Sunday at midnight (a 102-hour period) has started off on a deadly note. By noon Friday, January 2, 11 people had died in collisions around the state. That compares to 10, who died over the last 102-hour New Year’s holiday traffic count time frame in 2001. The last time New Year’s fell on a Thursday was in 1997 when there were 14 fatalities.
“While we are encouraged that overall fatalities seem to be down for 2003, it is inexcusable to lose more than 950 people to vehicle collisions,” said Highway Patrol Commander Col. Russell Roark. “Motorists must take responsibility for their own lives every time they get in a vehicle for us to see a real, sustainable improvement on our highways.”
One teen-ager died when the all-terrain vehicle she was driving collided head on with a pick-up truck in Aiken County on New Year’s Day. Another teen-ager died Friday in a head-on collision in Laurens County. And a third teen-ager died in a single vehicle collision in Sumter County, also on New Year’s Day.
In another collision, a Florida man has been charged with reckless homicide after his vehicle collided with another vehicle on Interstate 95 in Colleton County.
To read the stories of families who have lost loved ones on South Carolina highways, please visit http://www.schp.org/inmemoryof/.
Editor’s note: These numbers are preliminary and are based on fatal collisions reported to the South Carolina Highway Patrol as of January 2, 2004. For specific details on fatalities, including locations, you may access them at https://www.schponline.com/Media/Fatalities.asp. This site is for media use only. Please do not publicize this site because the information is preliminary and is meant to be used as a guide. For confirmation on fatality information, please contact the county coroner’s office.
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