Read more: Local, Crime, Fourth of July, Holiday, Celebration, Drinking, Driving, DUI, Checkpoints
The Fourth of July holiday is cause for celebration. Many of those celebrations unfortunately end with someone drinking and driving. A new Highway Patrol DUI enforcement team aims to prevent drunk driving accidents and fatalities.
Highway Patrol based the statewide team on one being used in Horry County. Last year, Highway Patrol assigned six troopers to the DUI team in Horry County. They say it resulted in more DUI arrests and fewer DUI-related fatalities.
Officials want to see those same results in Florence and Darlington counties where DUI crashes and fatalities have increased this year. Troopers say they will fan out across those counties and hold safety checkpoints, until they see a drop in DUI accidents.
"This is another tool for us to try to change the drivers mentality of drinking and driving. We're losing too many lives on the roads, and that's what we're here for to save lives," said Capt. Joe Nell, SC Highway Patrol.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving attended the news conference Wednesday announcing the team.
Donna Carter is with MADD in Darlington County. "We're moving in the right direction and we're gonna bring the numbers down and save lives in South Carolina," she said.
About half of all highway deaths in South Carolina are a result of DUI. More than 420 people died in DUI crashes in our state last year. South Carolina trails Montana for the highest number of DUI fatalities in the nation.
The new enforcement team will begin work this holiday weekend hitting DUI trouble spots in certain areas. Troopers say every available trooper in the area will patrol the roads this holiday weekend.
As DUI crashes decrease in targeted counties, the team will move to other areas experiencing problems.
