SCDPS, Local Law Enforcement launch ‘Sober or Slammer’ Campaign ahead of holidays

COLOMBIA (WOLO): The holiday season is in full swing, with Christmas already almost a week away, and the New Year in just a couple weeks. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety putting out all the stops now to ensure drivers stay safe on the roadways. 

Don’t drink and drive. You’ve heard it from law enforcement many times before, but still…too many South Carolinians die each year due to drunk drivers. 

Master Trooper David Jones, PIO South Carolina Highway Patrol: “Historically what we see around the holidays is a lot of families gather, a lot of friends gather…as we lead into the holidays, sometimes this can be the deadliest parts of the year for us.”

Lindsey Goodwin, ABC COLUMBIA: “That’s why the South Carolina Department of Public Safety kicked off their ‘Sober or Slammer’ campaign this week to encourage drivers to think before getting behind the wheel.”

Master Trooper Jones says, “In today’s technology it’s just an app away from getting a ride. We can say that law enforcement arrested over 18 thousand driving impaired people last year, but when you start throwing out numbers, that doesn’t put a name. There’s a lot of families who are gathering who lost a loved one this past year.”

In their last report, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reported 291 DUI related deaths in 2018…and they project this year could be worse, despite Covid-19 travel restrictions. 

Steven Burritt, Executive Director MADD SC: “We’ve actually had more traffic fatalities in South Carolina than we did at the same time last year. There’s some research that says during the pandemic, the drunk driving percentage is even higher than usual.  So we would like to think that things would be less, but unfortunately that’s not the trajectory for this year.”

“It all starts at home. If you’re going to go out and have a few drinks, make sure you have a designated driver. Make sure you do the right thing,”says Master Trooper Jones. 

Drivers can expect to see increased law enforcement and safety checkpoints on the roadways over the next few weeks.