South Carolina Department of Public Safety  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   

January 5, 2010

Contact: Your local CRO, 803-896-8144

SC Highway Patrol Announces New Year’s Weekend Enforcement Statistics

COLUMBIA – The S.C. Highway Patrol announces the following enforcement statistics from New Year’s weekend, which ran from Thursday, December 31, at 6 p.m. to midnight Sunday, January 3:

                                                                               2009:                    2008:

n     Total Highway Patrol cases made:                  9,006                     9,135  

n     Total DUI arrests:                                            306                        269

n     Safety belt citations:                                      2,396                     2,158

n     Fatalities:                                                            3                            8

n     Collision investigations:                                    621                        852 

** Media: The 2009 holiday travel period was a 78-hour period (Thurs.-Sun.); the 2008 period was a 102-hour period (Wed.-Sun.).

For a Troop by Troop breakdown of numbers, please contact your local CRO at 803-896-8144.

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.