Georgetown County traffic patrol credits Target 0 grant for fewer wrecks, plans holiday enforcement

Corporal Cody Bailey of the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office said the department’s Target 0 grant from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety funds both enforcement and education aimed at reducing roadway fatalities across the county.

Bailey said the program uses enforcement efforts on regional roadways and outreach in schools, churches and community groups to address primary crash causes — speed, impaired driving and distracted driving. “Every year, about 1,000 people die on our roadways, and so every year, we’re trying to take steps in the right direction,” he said.

Deputy Erin Yarborough described hands-on demonstrations used in school visits, including impairment-simulation goggles that let students experience how alcohol or other drugs affect driving. Bailey cautioned that cases involving substances other than alcohol generally require more extensive investigation: “You have to process even further because then we’re having to get blood and urine samples instead of just a breath test,” he said.

Bailey told listeners the county has participated in the grant for about five years and has seen a “consistent downward trend” in collisions and fatalities since the program began; he directed requests for the specific numbers to the sheriff’s office grant director.

Looking ahead to the holiday travel period, Bailey urged drivers to reduce speed and be aware of “too fast for conditions,” citing speed as the primary cause of accidents in Georgetown County and South Carolina overall. He said the sheriff’s office will mount step-up enforcement, including checkpoints, and coordinate with the City of Georgetown Police, Andrews Police Department, Pawleys Island Police Department and the South Carolina Highway Patrol to increase visibility and remove impaired and suspended drivers from county roadways.

The Sheriff’s Office framed the approach as prevention-first: education is used to change behavior before enforcement becomes necessary, while enforcement is intended to prevent collisions through deterrence and removal of unsafe drivers. The department advised motorists to slow down, buckle up and avoid distractions as the holidays approach.