State traffic deaths way down so far

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In all, 574 people have died on South Carolina highways this year, compared to 689 last year.

Officials don't know what caused the decrease, but they hope campaigns for seat-belt use and against drunk driving have helped. The Highway Patrol also has targeted areas that have more accidents, said Joan Beardsley, state public safety department spokeswoman.

She said every trooper will be on the roads this weekend.

"It's the time when you generally see a spike in the number of traffic fatalities, unfortunately, because so many people take driving holidays," she said. "You think of summer as a fun time, but in terms of traffic safety it is a deadly time."

Bill Davis of Pickens said he will be more careful this weekend because there are more people on the roads and more people on the roads not paying attention.

"Every holiday I drive more carefully," he said. Others see this is just another weekend.

"I think there are bad drivers anytime," said April Dotson, 29.

This is the first major holiday travel period since the DUI blood alcohol level was lowered from .10 to .08, she said. That means motorists need to be aware that their intoxication level can reach unsafe and illegal limits with fewer drinks.

Eleven people were killed on South Carolina roadways last year during the Labor Day weekend, compared with 14 in 2001, according to state statistics.

South Carolina troopers will also patrol the North Carolina and Georgia borders with troopers from those states to prevent crashes, Beardsley said.

"It's letting motorists know it doesn't stop at the state line," she said.

Gary Horne, 22, said there are a lot of people driving erratically during Labor Day weekend, so he will be careful.

"It's pretty crazy," he said.

Lance Cpl. Jim Dean, a Highway Patrol spokesman, said 140 troopers will focus on the interstates running through the area because of the high volume of traffic.