Area Tops List of Fatal DUI Crashes in 2007

While the rest of the nation seems to be getting the message, North and South Carolina are now topping the list for DUI related crashes.   

A new federal report out today shows most states numbers are dropping, while our area is now the most deadly and still on the rise.

“We are still seeing a lot of people who are drinking and driving,“ Sgt. Jimmy Bolt of Greenville County Sheriff’s Office traffic unit says.  The numbers back him up.

According to the US Department of Transportation, fatal DUI related crashes in both North and South Carolina increased last year putting our area into the top one and two positions in the country.

And in Greenville County, just so far this year, 277 DUI tickets have been written.  Out of a total 38 fatal accidents, 14 have been blamed on drunk drivers, making that the number one cause.

Another stat coming out of Friday’s report from the government, motorcycle DUI’s are up all over the country by about 10%.  Here in the Upstate, Sgt. Bolt says he is seeing it too.

Highway Patrol says last year during Labor Day weekend, South Carolina had 9 fatal accidents with four of those because of a drunk driver.

To see the entire US Department of Transportation report:  “http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811016.PDF