More Hit S.C. Roads

Wednesday’s second editorial urges holiday motorists to drive with caution.

Thanksgiving is a trying time to travel, by any mode of transportation, and this year S.C. roadways likely will carry even more traffic than a year ago. On Friday, local traffic congestion will increase as holiday shopping goes into full swing.

AAA Carolinas estimates that 569,000 state residents will travel more than 50 miles from home, an increase of 2.3 percent from last year, from 6 p.m. today through midnight Sunday. Highway travel is expected to increase and air travel decline from the 2008 holiday. The S.C. Highway Patrol will have more troopers on the road, especially on Interstate 95 and I-26, and at rest areas / welcome centers where they will advise motorists of heightened enforcement.

S.C. Highway Patrol Col. Kenny Lancaster Jr. says one of the chief problems troopers see is motorists not being able to stop or slow for other vehicles because of “speed, following too closely and inattention.” That means no talking on cell phones. The message to motorists should be obvious: Drive within the speed limit, maintain adequate following distance and keep “attention fully on the roadway, scanning ahead for potential hazards.”

 

AAA Carolinas estimates that 569,000 state residents will travel more than 50 miles from home, an increase of 2.3 percent from last year, from 6 p.m. today through midnight Sunday. Highway travel is expected to increase and air travel decline from the 2008 holiday. The S.C. Highway Patrol will have more troopers on the road, especially on Interstate 95 and I-26, and at rest areas / welcome centers where they will advise motorists of heightened enforcement.

S.C. Highway Patrol Col. Kenny Lancaster Jr. says one of the chief problems troopers see is motorists not being able to stop or slow for other vehicles because of “speed, following too closely and inattention.” That means no talking on cell phones. The message to motorists should be obvious: Drive within the speed limit, maintain adequate following distance and keep “attention fully on the roadway, scanning ahead for potential hazards.”