November 24, 2008

CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8409

LOWER GAS PRICES EXPECTED TO MAKE THANKSGIVING TRAVEL BUSY IN SOUTH CAROLINA

COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Public Safety is making enforcement plans for a busy Thanksgiving travel weekend, which DPS believes will be boosted by the decrease in gas prices. Both the Highway Patrol and State Transport Police are preparing special enforcement strategies to address the major Thanksgiving travel issues: speed, impaired and aggressive driving, lack of restraint use and fatigue from extended travel.  

“We believe the lower gas prices will mean more travel compared to other major travel holidays this year,” said SCDPS Director Mark Keel. “The past few holidays have definitely been lighter because of the impact of high gas prices. People are overdue on making those long trips.”  Forty-one million people, or 13 percent of the American population, are expected to travel during this holiday period. Of that number 33 million will travel by car.

AAA Carolinas predicts that even with the lower gas prices, travel will be less than past Thanksgiving weekends because of the sagging economy. AAA said, however, that they expect some motorists to change plans and travel at the last minute if the gas prices continue declining.

Even with a slight downturn in travel numbers, the Highway Patrol advises motorists that travel will still be heavy and to expect delays and congestion.

The official holiday period will begin Wednesday night at 6 p.m. and extend until midnight Sunday. In 2007, there were 10 fatal crashes and 11 fatalities. The highest number of fatalities in the past five years was in 2004, when there were 16.

Alcohol-related collisions remain a major concern for law enforcement. Nearly 450 people are killed every year due to impaired driving (463 fatalities in 2007); in SC, one person is injured or killed in an alcohol-related crash every two hours.

Law enforcement will focus on proactive enforcement to prevent similar statistics. Some of those efforts will include public safety checkpoints where motorists should be prepared to show their license, registration and insurance; special radar enforcement, including hand-held LIDAR, especially on major travel routes and interstates; and strict enforcement of restraint laws, particularly child restraint.

There is currently a 79 percent seat belt usage rate in South Carolina; however, more than 67 percent of vehicle occupants killed in a traffic crash last year were not properly restrained.

“Families often travel in large groups on Thanksgiving, which can lead to distraction for the driver,” said Lt. Col. Melvin Howard of the Highway Patrol. “We urge drivers to have plans to keep the children occupied and reduce distraction in the vehicles.”

Howard adds that keeping children in their restraints is critical. “Children on long trips tend to get impatient and want to get out of their seat belts, especially in vans and larger vehicles where the parents may feel it is safer. We cannot emphasize enough how important it is that children stay restrained the entire trip.”

The State Transport Police will be conducting special enforcement sessions in areas with large concentrations of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) traffic. In addition to speed and other traffic enforcement, they will be checking the loads on trucks, drivers’ log books and inspecting vehicles. STP is emphasizing what an important role motorists play in preventing crashes with CMVs.

“We want motorists to be aware of the difference between how a large truck handles on the roadway compared to regular motor vehicles,” said Major Nick Moore, interim commander of STP. “Motorists need to be especially aware of operating in the blind spots of large trucks, cutting them off in traffic, or stopping abruptly in front of them. CMVs need much more stopping distance than the average vehicle.”

The Highway Patrol advises motorists to be aware that South Carolina law says that you must move a disabled or wrecked vehicle (if there are no injuries) as far out of traffic as possible. Motorists should activate emergency flashers and call *HP on their mobile phones. Typically, the safest place for a motorist is inside the vehicle if it is safely off the road. Otherwise, people should move as far away from traffic as possible and keep an eye on the traffic around them.

South Carolina law also says that motorists must change lanes, when possible, and/or reduce their speed when approaching a scene with EMS, firefighters, law enforcement or other emergency vehicles at the scene of a traffic stop or collision. Secondary collisions often occur because of “rubbernecking.”

Motorists are encouraged to take frequent breaks during their travels. One of the primary causes for vehicle deaths is inattention – often due to fatigue and long distance travel.

Troopers, STP officers and Families of Highway Fatality members will be at rest areas and welcome centers tomorrow to distribute safety literature and educate motorists about South Carolina traffic laws and to advise them of heightened enforcement.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety includes the Highway Patrol, Office of Highway Safety, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services and Office of Justice Programs. Our mission is to ensure public safety by protecting and serving the people of South Carolina and its visitors.

Click here for Audio Clip