BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – Berkeley County drivers traveling this Fourth of July holiday will likely notice two things: an increased law enforcement presence and lots of vehicles on the road.
Independence Day will be the second busiest since 2000, as travel volumes continue to trend upwards with no sign of slowing down. AAA predicts 47.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more during the holiday weekend (June 30 – July 4). That’s 4 percent more than last year’s holiday, and just shy of those seen in 2019.
To help keep the roadways safe, Berkeley County drivers hitting the road for the three-day holiday can expect to see more law enforcement officers along their commute.
“We want our residents to know, we will have an increase in patrols from various agencies. All of the agencies will have one thing in common this weekend, keeping you safe,” the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office posted to Facebook on Friday.
This weekend, the Berkeley County Traffic Unit said it will participate in traffic saturations and checkpoints in the county.
“We want to be on the lookout for aggressive and impaired drivers by using proactive enforcement during the Fourth of July weekend. Our goal is to end this holiday weekend with ZERO fatalities,” the sheriff’s office said.
Troopers with the South Carolina Highway Patrol will also beef up patrols as people travel for the holiday. Areas of enforcement will include interstates and major highways starting Friday and running through Monday.
SCHP and State Transport Police will work with local law enforcement partners, focusing on all traffic violations with a special emphasis on DUI, speed, aggressive and distracted driving, which are violations that often lead to collisions and fatalities, troopers said.
According to SCHP, State Transport Police will also focus on commercial motor vehicle violations in these areas.
As of July 1, South Carolina has had 495 fatalities statewide compared to 562 at this time in 2021, SCHP said.
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