GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – The South Carolina Department of Public Safety said Highway Patrol Troopers will be increasing their presence on New Year’s Eve night, hoping to catch impaired drivers before a life is lost.
“About half of the fatalities that occur on our roads throughout South Carolina are caused by impaired drivers,” said Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway, with South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Ridgeway said Troopers will be setting up checkpoints throughout the night and into early New Years Day, making sure drivers have their seatbelts on, phones down and also checking to make sure nobody is driving drunk.
“It’s all in the name of traffic safety and of saving lives on our roadways,” said Ridgeway.
Sean Farmer, the Front-of-House Manager and Bar Manager at Larkin’s in downtown Greenville said that his staff was busy filing orders before 6 p.m., because of New Year’s Eve.
“I’ve been in this game for a while, so we’re already starting to see people vibing a bit,” said Farmer.