Law enforcement officials refer to the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day as the “100 Deadly Days of Summer”.
This time of year is peak road-travel season as many people opt for a road trip during summer months, this means more people are on the roadways.
The number of fatal crashes in 2019, has almost surpassed that of 2018 already. As of this morning, there have been 335 fatal car wrecks so far in 2019.
Corporal Sonny Collins with Highway Patrol says although many travelers descend on the Grand Strand beaches, much of the traffic comes through South Carolina interstate systems in places like Florence.
“I-20 and I-95 bring people to Florence,” Collins said. “Florence brings them in through Conway and into Myrtle Beach on 501, so you have a large volume of traffic utilizing one or two roadways coming into the Grand Strand.”
Collins said Highway Patrol emphasizes high-visibility enforcement during peak travel times as a way to deter bad driving habits.
“As soon as that traffic starts entering into the Florence area, between Florence and Conway, we want to make sure we have troopers stationed along those major routes so drivers are seeing our troopers out there working,” Collins said. “They are seeing our cars, which reminds them, “Hey i need to watch my speed, I need to put the phone down.””
Corporal Collins said almost every fatality associated with a car accident can be attributed to alcohol, speeding or not wearing a seatbelt.
He suggested using roads like Highway 31 and 22 rather than 501 to avoid the heavily traveled highways.