PRESS RELEASE
August 16, 2017

FCSO TRAFFIC SAFETY UNIT REPORTS JULY 2017 STATISTICS


The Florence County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Safety Unit conducted enforcement operations throughout Florence County during the month of July 2017. The Traffic Safety Unit is made up of 6 Deputies, three of whom are funded by a traffic safety grant that the Sheriff’s Office received in October of 2016. The primary function of the Traffic Safety Unit is to reduce the number of traffic collisions and fatalities experienced in Florence County. Members of the FCSO Traffic Safety Unit will focus their enforcement efforts on roadways that have a high number of collisions and traffic deaths. Team members will also be concentrating on the primary traffic violations that lead to traffic deaths such as speeding, DUI, and seatbelt violations.

All members of the Traffic Safety Unit are certified in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, Breath Test Operators, Speed Measurement Device Operators, and two members are certified Drug Recognition Experts. Members of the Traffic Safety Unit that are paid for by the Traffic Safety Grant have received specialized vehicles and equipment, and their salaries will be paid for by grant funds for the next three years. The Traffic Safety Unit also participates with the 12th Circuit LEN and will be planning checkpoints throughout Florence County during the month of August.

July 2017 Statistics:

Traffic Violations
DUI: 5
Seatbelt: 99
Child Restraint Violations: 10
Speeding: 179
Driving Under Suspension: 31
Driving Without a License: 10
Uninsured Motorist: 8
Other Traffic Violations: 187
Total number of Traffic Citations: 529
Criminal Violations
Drug Arrests: 17
Fugitive Arrests: 6
Weapons Law Violations: 1
Total Criminal Violations: 24
Collisions Investigated: 4
Safety Presentations: 3
Traffic Safety Checkpoints: 3
Traffic Safety Unit Total Contacts: 565


The Florence County Sheriff’s Office has recently received complaints about golf carts and the age of persons driving golf carts in and around county neighborhoods. The Traffic Safety Unit would emphasize the importance that motorists use caution while on any roadway and to be on the lookout for slow moving motorized vehicles such as golf carts. In addition, when operating a golf cart on a public roadway all traffic laws must be obeyed.

Under South Carolina Law, a golf cart cannot be legally operated on a public roadway unless the driver is at least 16 years of age and possesses a valid South Carolina driver’s license. The golf cart must be registered with the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, bear a permit decal of registration and proof of insurance. A golf cart can only be operated on secondary roads having speed limits of 35 mph or less, within 4 miles of the address on the registration certificate and only during daylight hours.

The primary concern with golf carts being operated by persons under the age of 16 and without a license is the safety of the golf cart operators, passengers and the motoring public. Young operators without a driver’s license and not familiar with the rules of the road could suffer serious bodily injury or death if involved in a collision with a motor vehicle.

If you have any questions regarding traffic safety or if your organization or group would like to host a Safety Presentation by the FCSO Traffic Safety Unit, please contact Lt. A.B. Fox at (843) 665-2121, ext. 302.

END
Major Michael M. Nunn
General Counsel/P.I.O.