AIKEN - South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers hoping to nab bad drivers on Interstate 20 are getting a little help from above.
The agency kicked off an aerial traffic enforcement campaign this week, using planes to spot speeders and reckless drivers on Interstate 20 and tip off troopers on the ground.
A record number of people died on South Carolina highways last year, authorities announced Tuesday at the Aiken Municipal Airport.
Using planes to spot speeders, reckless drivers and drivers who follow too closely is a "very effective and very exciting" tool for the highway patrol, said Maj. Melvin Howard, who is field operations supervisor for Region 2, which includes Aiken County.
Most of the 1,092 people killed last year in South Carolina died in speeding-related wrecks, Maj. Howard said. That continues a deadly trend for the state, which has consistently ranked high in the country in speed-related traffic fatalities.
"The obvious aim is to reduce crashes and fatalities," Maj. Howard said.
Aiken County was chosen to be first because of its high traffic volume on I-20 and historically high traffic fatalities early in the year, according to the department.
The aerial enforcement campaign works like this:
Officers in the plane spot a car that's speeding. Once that car crosses a white line painted on the interstate, the officer starts a calibrated stopwatch, stopping it when the car passes over a second white line about a quarter of a mile from the first one.
That tells the officer how fast the driver was going, said pilot Lt. Garry Rozier.
The officers in the air radio troopers on the ground, who then pull over the offending driver.
"It's very effective," he said. "When you get used to seeing these cars from the air, you can tell when they're speeding."
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is providing the plane and pilot.
A similar campaign in 2000 and 2001 had to be discontinued because of a budget crunch, Lt. Rozier said.
Reach Sandi Martin at (803) 648-1395, ext. 111, or sandi.martin@augustachronicle.com.
Traffic Fatalities
| 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | |
| Aiken County | 23* | 39 | 29 | 32 |
| South Carolina | 1,092 | 1,046 | 969 | 1,053 |
Multimedia
Watch video of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources as they patrol Interstate 20 from the air. Click the movie player's large "play" button to start the movie.