Troopers Say To Remember Seat Belt and Sober Rides For Thanksgiving Travel

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Columbia, SC (WOLO)– With Thanksgiving traffic at its peak, Highway Patrol troopers were all across the Palmetto states at rest areas and welcome centers educating visitors on how to safely get to their destination.  One of the key points they are pushing is the importance buckling up. 

Bobbi Jackson has made it her mission, along with the State troopers, to ensure everyone is buckled up and buckled up the right way.  In 2011 she lost her 10-month-old grandson, Ayden, who is the youngest person to die on South Carolina Roads.

“My grandbaby died exactly this way. He was inside of a truck and because he was not restrained properly, when that truck started to tumble he tumbled inside. And eventually he came through one of the windows, and then the truck rolled over him. So just what you see here is a very close simulation of what happened to Ayden. And it shouldn’t happen to any child,” Jackson said.  

Highway Patrol says of all the fatalities they see, more than half of the victims could have walked away had they made the decision to just buckle up.

“This is how quickly things can happen. This rollover spins at 15 miles an hour, the average crash happens at 45 miles or plus. So at 15 miles per hour, you can see the dummies get thrown out of the car. You can only imagine if it was a higher speed crash,” Lance Cpl. David Jones said.

During Thanksgiving and all of the holiday season, every trooper available will be on the roads. Many of the travelers at the rest stop understand how important their message is.

“Because it’s the safe thing to do,” Andrew Gillory said after being asked if he buckles up every time he gets into the car. Gillory was on his way to Georgia for Thanksgiving. 

“Yes I do, our whole family does. My son, he’s 14, ever since he was old enough to sit in his own seat he’s always bucked up. It’s crazy not to,” John Edmondson said, also on his way to Georgia for the holiday. 

“Buckle up and don’t be dumb. Drive safe and pay attention to the road, don’t be on your phones,” Gillory said. 

“Save yourself the trouble of getting stopped, save yourself the ticket. And do us a favor and your family a favor by slowing down, wearing your seatbelt, and have a designated driver if you decide to have some drinks this holiday season,” Jones said. 

State Troopers say it only takes five seconds to put on a seatbelt, or $20 for a safe ride home, but that’s nothing compared to your safety and the safety of others on the road with you.