Kershaw's new DUI unit saving lives in crackdown
ON I-20 GOING EAST AT 100 MPH — “Here’s your roller coaster, guys!” Kershaw County Sheriff’s Deputy Lt. Scott Myers said as his 2011 unmarked Dodge Charger rose up over a rise in the road.
At a normal speed, say 75 mph, the bump wouldn’t be noticeable. But at 100 mph, which Myers was doing to catch up to a driver who’d been following another car too closely, the car seemed to lift into the air.
“I’m not using my blue lights because I don’t want people to panic and get out of the way real quick,” Myers said.
Myers and his $40,000 Charger are a key part of a new six-person traffic unit of the Kershaw County Sheriff’s department.
The brainchild of Sheriff Jim Matthews, the six new fulltime traffic deputies – two are dedicated to DUI trouble spots – are credited for already saving lives and reducing collisions in Kershaw County last year.
In 2011, Kershaw County had 10 traffic deaths, down from 14 the year before. It was the only county in a six-county Midlands region overseen by the S.C. Highway Patrol that had a decline in traffic deaths. Collisions are also down about 20 percent since the six traffic deputies deployed – from 593 in the last six months of 2010 to 472 the same time period in 2011.
“It’s really a good thing – it’s working,” said 1st Sgt. Tom Borowski, who oversees a 16-trooper S.C. Highway Patrol squad that covers Kershaw and Lee counties.
“When people see a lot of enforcement, a lot of blue lights, they have a tendency to remember police are around,” said Borowski.
Kershaw County coroner Johnny Fellers, whose office handles dead traffic victims, has nothing but praise for the new unit.
“Some people don’t like the increased enforcement, but those are the ones who’ve probably gotten a ticket,” Fellers said. Until last year, Kershaw County had one of the state’s highest per capita road death tolls.
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Drunk Driving Statistics for Driving while intoxicated Accidents ...
In accordance with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), fatalities from impaired or dui accidents are higher through the Christmas and New Year’s holidays as compared to the fatalities occurring on the other days in December.
Driving under the influence statistics include any vehicle operator by having a bac (BAC) of .01 or over. Last year, 32% of total traffic fatalities on your year involved drivers which has a BAC of .08 and better. It is essential to know that since a person may actually be well below the.08 legal limit, their judgment and reflexes are impaired enough to cause dui accidents and fatal crashes. Believe it or not, drivers accompanied by a BAC higher level of .01-.07 cause usually over 1,900 fatal crashes nationally. They’re just given the term ‘alcohol-impaired’ to more accurately reflect their condition.
The wintertime holiday season is a really dangerous time. Combine drinking at holiday celebrations with, for most people, unforgiving winter road conditions, and you will have a deadly recipe. As driving under the influence statistics show, getting older take much alcohol to create an alcohol-impaired driver. Alcohol-impaired drivers cause around 54 fatal dwi accidents per day in the New Year’s holiday period alone. That’s 66% more than the daily number all through the entire year. During the Christmas holiday, they cause 45 fatalities each and every day. A BAC of 1.7 was the most frequent recorded BAC level in driving while intoxicated accidents which results in fatality.
Many parents don’t think twice about driving a family home from the holiday celebration from a two drinks. However, in ’09, an utter of 181 children age 14 and younger were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. From those 181 deaths, 92 (51%) were occupants of a vehicle that has a driver who had a BAC higher level of .08 or more.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood began the annual “Drunk Driving. Across the Limit. Under Arrest” winter holiday crackdown involving countless the authorities agencies country wide. Secretary LaHood also highlighted the newest ” No Refusal strategy that your volume of states are employing to position a stop to dwi.