GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers will be increasing enforcement along major highways during the Thanksgiving holiday.
“We’re going to be out in full force during this holiday period,” Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway said. “We’ll have a lot more troopers on the road. We’ll be a lot more visible.”
During the week of Thanksgiving in 2022, there were more than 1,126 crashes in South Carolina and 11 roadway deaths, according to highway patrol. Troopers hope the roads will be safer this Thanksgiving.
“We’ll have more than 55 million Americans who will be traveling this year for the Thanksgiving holiday,” Ridgeway said. “That’s going to cause a lot more traffic volume, especially on our interstates. We want to make sure that people who are traveling understand that the first thing we have to do is make sure we get to our destinations safely before we can spend that quality time with our family and friends.”
Troopers will be looking for people driving too fast, not wearing their seatbelts and those who are distracted.
“Make sure you’re paying attention to what you’re doing behind the wheel,” Ridgeway said. “Limit your distractions. Stay off your cell phone.”
They will also keep their eyes out for people driving under the influence.
“If we find people who are driving while impaired, those people go to jail so we can remove them off the roadway to make the roadway safer for everybody,” Ridgeway said.
Troopers urge everyone who plans to drink to have a designated driver or call a ride share.
They also remind drivers to make sure their cars are in good working condition before getting on the road.
“Make sure you get good, quality tires on your vehicle,” Ridgeway said. “Check your fluids. Check your lights. Check your wipers.”
