Labor Day marks the end of summer and the end of the 100 Deadly Days of Summer campaign sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. The campaign is winding up with a few new TV commercials as well as an increased police and highway patrol presence on the roads. The goal is to reduce the number of DUI-related car accidents and traffic deaths in the state.

Law enforcement efforts during the campaign have focused on cutting the number of people driving under the influence and without seat belts. In addition, with Labor Day just around the corner, local police departments and the state have launched the annual "Sober or Slammer" program. Officers and troopers have increased patrols and instituted checkpoints for impaired drivers.

Statistics from Horry and Georgetown Counties support the department's efforts. In Horry County, DUI arrests during the Deadly Days of Summer dropped from 908 in 2009 to 792 in 2010. There were also fewer DUI-related crashes in 2010.

Georgetown County experienced a significant increase in arrests -- 186 in 2009 to 265 in 2010 -- that may be attributed to the increase in enforcement. The county experienced a significant decrease in DUI-related car accidents: 42 in 2010, down from 50 in 2009.

The increased police presence is designed not only for enforcement, but also to encourage what the department terms "voluntary compliance." Involving people in the problem, they say, is key to combating the problem. Residents feel "a sense of partnership and duty" that affects their own behavior when it comes to driving drunk and heightens their sense of responsibility toward their family and friends, keeping them from driving while impaired.

"DUI is a careless disregard for human life," said the director of public safety for South Carolina. Enforcement does not fall only on the shoulders of police and state patrol -- concerned citizens can help by dialing *HP on a cell phone, designating a sober driver, or taking car keys away from a friend who has been drinking.

DUI-related crashes are the leading cause of traffic deaths in the state.

Resource: The Sun News "DUIs Yield to Crackdown in Horry, Georgetown Counties" 8/25/10