Troopers prepare for heavy travel as the official start to summer begins

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety has a goal of zero highway fatalities as South Carolina celebrates the first official weekend of summer.

Troopers say a total of 12 motorists died on the roads last year during the long weekend that begins at 6 p.m. tonight and runs through Monday at midnight. Statewide highway fatalities stand at 269 this year compared to 270 at this time last year.

“The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day has been called the 100 Deadly Days of Summer because fatalities typically rise as people are off from work and out of school, heading to vacation spots,” said Leroy Smith, director of SCDPS. “I’m encouraging our troopers, officers and motorists to be part of the Target Zero Team and help change Summer’s reputation to the 100 Safe Days of Summer.”

This is also a big week for bikers on state roads for Memorial Bike Week. Last week, there were zero motorcycle fatalities during Harley Bike Week. This increase in motorcyclists will mix in with the already increased traffic.

Troopers and STP officers will be patrolling the roads to prevent highway deaths, with a continued focus on speed and safety belts. SCDPS will be working with the local officers during the 78 hour travel holiday. This will include public safety checkpoints, radar to detect speed violations and every other available resource to remove drunk drivers from the roadways.

South Carolina Highway Patrol Col. Mike Oliver said, “troopers will keep a close eye on protecting vulnerable roadway users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, moped riders and motorcyclists.”

“Motorists will see more blue lights as troopers focus on deterring aggressive and deadly driving behaviors,” Oliver said. “People often get complacent or let their excitement about their vacation distract them from the road on holiday weekends. Stay focused, plan rest breaks and watch your speed.”

Oliver encourages motorists to call *HP to report aggressive or impaired driving behaviors such as excessive speed, weaving in and out of lanes, driving drastically below the speed limit and ignoring traffic signals.

SCDPS kicked off its Buckle Up South Carolina. It’s the Law and  it’s enforced campaign last week. Message boards from the South Carolina Department of Transportation, have broadcasted Buckle Up message to support strong enforcement efforts. Overall safety belt use continues to rise, breaking records at 91.7 percent in 2013. Nearly 55 percent of people killed, who had access to seat belts, last year were not wearing them.