In terms of total population, Edgefield County ranks 36th out of 46 counties in South Carolina.
You would think then, that in
terms of DUI crashes, we would be ranked about 36th.
But you would be wrong!!!
Edgefield County ranks:
· 6th in the state for the percentage of traffic crashes that were DUI-related
· 11th
in the state for the number of non-fatal DUI crashes by vehicle miles traveled
· 21st
in the state for total number of single-vehicle night-time crashes by the number of licensed drivers
· 29th in the state for the total number of fatal DUI crashes
(Source: 2000 US Census, 2007-2009 SC DPS crash data)
Whether
way too many drinks or just one drink too many, it’s not worth the risk.
Drunk driving creates serious consequences.
Alcohol and other drugs impair many of the skills that safe driving requires, including judgment, concentration, comprehension, coordination, visual acuity and reaction time.
Driving with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of .08 or higher is illegal in South Carolina and every other state. Yet too many people still ignore the law. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, more than 1.44 million people were arrested for driving under the influence during 2009.
The tragedies and costs from drinking and driving impaired do not
just end at the potential death, disfigurement, disability and injury caused by impaired drivers.
People who break the law often face jail time, the loss of their driver licenses, higher insurance rates, and dozens of other unanticipated expenses from attorney fees, fines and court costs, car towing and repairs, lost time at work, etc.
Driving impaired or riding with someone who is impaired
is not worth the risk. The consequences are serious and real. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma
and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for driving while impaired can be really significant.
(Source: www.StopImpairedDriving.org)