CONTACT: Sgt. R.K. Hughes, 803-896-7920

 

SCHP, SCDNR TEAM UP FOR AERIAL ENFORCEMENT ON I-20 IN LEXINGTON CO.

 

COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Public Safety will be combining resources once again with the Department of Natural Resources to work a high fatality, high collision roadway from the sky. Aerial enforcement, as well as increased ground enforcement, will begin tomorrow and run through Monday in an effort to identify and combat reckless driving behaviors on I-20 in Lexington County.

 

“Aerial enforcement is one tool that we will be using to get the public’s attention … slow them down and get their mind on what’s going on behind the wheel,” said Highway Patrol Col. Russell Roark. “Illegal lane changes, speed and following too closely are all violations that are causing collisions on I-20. Aerial enforcement is especially useful in detecting those types of violations.”

 

So far this year, five people have died in Lexington County compared to none at this time last year.. Last year, the Highway Patrol investigated 48 fatalities in Lexington County and one half of those were alcohol related. There were seven fatalities on I-20 in Lexington County in 2006. 

 

Statewide, fatalities are already 13 ahead of last year at this time – 71 compared to 58 – in January. In Troop One, which includes Sumter, Clarendon, Lee, Lexington, Richland and Kershaw counties, there were five deaths in January last year. This year, the Highway Patrol has investigated 18 so far in that region.

 

All of the fatal collisions in Lexington County this year have been alcohol-related.

 

The Department of Natural Resources will provide the plane and pilot for the aerial enforcement campaign. The safety initiative in Lexington County is a multi-layered approach. The Highway Patrol, in addition to the aerial enforcement, will provide motorcycle units. Members of SCHP’s Safety Improvement Team and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department will conduct LIDAR enforcement and saturation patrols. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department will continue partnering with the Highway Patrol throughout February on special drunken driving initiatives.

 

Other areas of concern throughout Troop One include:

n      Sumter: There was one fatality in January last year. So far this year, there have been three deaths with one pedestrian. Five pedestrians died on the roadways in Sumter last year.   

n      Richland: SCHP is working with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office and Columbia Police Department throughout the month of February focusing on the interstates and U.S. 378 with a primary emphasis on speed-related violations and occupant restraint. Last January, the Highway Patrol investigated two fatalities in Richland County; there have been four so far this year. Three were on the interstate and two were speed- related; none of the four used seatbelts. In 2006, the Highway Patrol investigated 49 fatalities.

n      Clarendon: On February 5, the Highway Patrol and local law enforcement will kick off an enforcement and safety education initiative with a particular focus on increasing occupant restraint use.