Practicing Safe Driving This Summer
Note: This was featured as part of our Wednesday segment on Charleston’s 105.5 The Bridge with Box in the Morning. You can catch us every Wednesday morning at 8:50 am ET for the latest law tips and legal news. You can listen to the segment below:
Summer season is upon us, kicking off with Memorial Day weekend. Kids are getting out of school. A lot more people are out and about this time of year and there are more tourists in the area. We have tourists out and about during the day and the younger generations going out later at night. This busy schedule of constant people on the roadways will continue through the end of the summer. This time between Memorial Day and Labor Day is being dubbed the “100 Deadly Days of Summer” because of the rise in traffic and accidents on our roadways.
Unfortunately, 50-60% of fatalities in SC are caused by drunk driving. Another 18% are caused by texting. Studies are showing when people are intoxicated, they also become intexticated. Intoxicated drivers tend to overestimate what they can do while they are under the influence. Driving drunk is already dangerous without adding in extra tasks, such as texting. With the extra traffic on our roadways this summer, be on the lookout for cars that are swerving or driving aggressively. If you are finding yourself behind one of these vehicles, you can report them to the Highway Patrol by dialing *HP on your cellphone.
South Carolina is a beautiful place to visit and there are a lot of places to get a summer beverage, especially around Charleston and Myrtle Beach. Just remember when you are out and about, driving buzzed is also considered driving under the influence. You don’t have to be sloppy to be charged with a DUI. The cops now have body cameras and they are able to talk to witnesses and record the conversations for court. These cameras give them the ability to capture different perspectives at the scene, which puts a pretty good case together against drunk drivers. It’s not worth the risk to someone’s life or to your driving record.
Stay safe and have fun this summer by practicing safe driving. Don’t drink and drive and don’t drink and boat.
Additional Resources:
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/2016/05/31/deadly-days-summer-begins-sc-memorial-day-weekend/85186630/
http://drivingmba.com/2012/10/texting-and-driving-statistics/