Hartsville Police Department July 4th Sober Driving Campaign

Hartsville, SC—It is time to make those July 4^th Celebration plans for this weekend. Hartsville Police Department is here to remind you to include a designated driver in your plans now to ensure you and others on the roadways make it home safely.  It is more difficult to celebrate independence behind bars if you are caught drinking and driving.
 
Despite the fact that it’s illegal to drive drunk, one person was killed every 52 minutes in a drunk driving crash on our nation’s roads in 2019. That's a total of 10,142 people who died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in one year. Even a small amount of alcohol can affect a person quickly; for example, a blood alcohol concentration of .02 can affect someone’s ability to perform two tasks at one time.
 
Your life and the lives of others on the road are at risk every time a driver gets behind the wheel after drinking. Here are a few tips to stay safe.
 
·Before drinking, choose a designated driver, or schedule a ride-sharing, ride-hailing or taxi service.
·If you are hosting a party where there’s alcohol, offer non-alcoholic drink options and make sure all guests leave with a sober driver.
·Always wear your seat belt — it's the best defense against drunk drivers.
·If you see a drunk driver on the road, safely pull over and call law enforcement.
Hartsville Police Department has a new DUI Enforcement officer on the roads. We hope you have the opportunity to meet him at one of the upcoming community events like National Night Out or Coffee with a Cop. However, if you drink and drive this weekend, you may meet him a little sooner and in a much less festive role.