FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 4, 2006
CONTACT: L/CPL. BRYAN MCDOUGALD, 803-896-8144
COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol will be in Chesterfield County April 5 for Coffee With the Highway Patrol. Troopers will meet with citizens of Chesterfield County at Mary’s Restaurant, 134 Market Street, from 8-10 a.m. to discuss motor vehicle safety in their communities.
Local restaurants throughout the state are partnering with the Highway Patrol to help promote safety by hosting these public forums. The public will have an opportunity to interact with troopers and share concerns about their community in an informal one-on-one setting.
Topics on the table include: the new primary seat belt law; concerns about fatalities in the state/area; upcoming enforcement/safety initiatives; teen driving; finding out how you can become a “safety ambassador.”
The fatality rate in Chesterfield County is so far running behind last year – three killed compared to five. Last year, 17 people died on Chesterfield County roads compared to 19 in 2004.
The leading causes of collisions in Chesterfield County last year included speed and DUI. Eight of the fatal collisions happened on secondary roadways.
A Highway Patrol Community Relations Officer will bring the half-car, which is used to demonstrate the proper use of various child restraint systems, as well. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to stop by for child restraint information and demonstrations.
The Highway Patrol also will use this opportunity to recognize Chesterfield High School for having the most students last year take the Final Exam Teen Safe Driving Pledge. The competition is divided among athletic classes 1A-4A and private/independent
“We want to visit all areas of the state to ensure we are receiving the necessary and important feedback from communities about traffic safety issues,” said Highway Patrol Colonel Russell Roark. “In the two community forums we’ve already had, we’ve seen that people have many issues on their mind – from questions about the new seat belt law to how to make communities safer.”
So far, two breakfast/coffee forums have been held – one in Newberry and Orangeburg.
The forum will include representatives from the local Troop 4 Office as well as Post D, which includes Chesterfield/Lancaster Counties. Col. Roark, the commander of the Highway Patrol, as well as other command staff from Columbia will attend as well.
One of the primary safety issues that the Patrol is experiencing throughout the state is a jump in fatalities due to single-vehicle collisions in which the driver loses control, runs off the roadway and strikes a fixed object. The Highway Patrol will bring information about how to recover from a driving situation such as this.
The next Coffee With the Highway Patrol forum will be in Williamsburg County.