DANGERS OF DRIVING

April 3, 2012: We enjoyed Corporal Bob Beres discussion on the dangers of driving. He has a heart for speaking to teenagers about the dangers of texting and driving and does over 150 presentations a year in the state of South Carolina.

Cpl. Beres is a refugee from Austria. In 1971 he and his parents came from a communist country. He served in the Navy with distinction. Bob joined the highway patrol in 1994. Currently, his role is Public Information Officer of Troop Six. He was recently recognized by the SC House of Representatives with a special resolution honoring his achievements and service to his fellow citizens.

Bob gave us startling statistics. Since January 1, 2012, there have been 186 fatalities on SC road ways. Last year, the total was 800 for the year. This year six of these fatalities have been bicycle related. There has been an increase in bicycle and motorcycle deaths.

Because of the increase in accidents, the Highway Patrol created the SEE Program. SEE stands for “Stop, Educate, and Enforce”.

This year there has been 22 motorcycle related deaths compared to last year’s total of 16. A few years ago SC implemented the Ride Smart program. When someone buys a motorcycle at a dealership they receive 2 things: 1) a 20 minute DVD on how to ride a motorcycle safely, and 2) a poster with Einsten sitting on a Harley Davidson with a caption saying “Ride Smart”. It is thought that the increase in motorcycle fatalities is directly related to the rise in gas prices as more people are using motorcycles for transportation.

This year 126 people have died from not wearing seat belts compared to 140 last year at this time. A total of 300 people died in SC last year from not wearing seat belts.

SC Highway Patrol and Subway are kicking off a campaign called “Wait to Text”. The program targets students in the 9th to 12the grade. Eleven teens die everyday in the U.S. from texting and driving. Subway is asking students in SC to sign a “Wait to Text” pledge card. Subway will feed the entire school for free, if the school is one of the top 5 in participation.

The Top 3 Highway Deaths in SC are:
1. Speeding
2. Not Wearing a seat belt
3. DUI

DUI continues to be a problem in our state as 16,000 people were arrested last year for DUI. In the tri-county area over 1000 people were arrested. He reminded everyone that a “DUI” stays on a person’s driving record for life. If you kill someone while drinking and driving, you receive 25 years in prison for each person killed in the accident. If you see a drunk driver call *HP for help.

Submitted by Katie McCravy, Keyway Committee