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Drunk Drivers using Social Media, Texting to avoid Checkpoints

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is putting extra pressure on drunk drivers this summer, and social media is not helping them.

“What we’ve done is use the ‘fear of where we’re going to be’ to keep you from drinking and driving,” Lance Corporal Billy Elder with the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The Lance Corporal says he’s seen an increase in people warning friends the location of a current DUI check point.

“If you’re texting someone to tell them ‘Hey there’s a DUI check point up here’ for the purpose of them trying to avoid – and [they still drive] under the influence, the person ought to know that’s wrong,” said Elder.

To fight back against “texters” and people who are using social media to warn friends, troopers try to stay one step ahead by setting up several check points along I-77 and side roads.

“We’re branching out to have people guessing where we’ll be next,” said Elder.

As a result, if a drunk driver is tipped off and tries to avoid the DUI checkpoint, that driver could get a surprise elsewhere.

Elder says they’ve had 17 fatal crashes in York County this year; half of those were from drunk drivers.

“If you are allowing someone to make it around a DUI check point, then did you contribute to that wreck? I say you did,” Elder says about people who warn drunk drivers.

South Carolina troopers made 24,000 DUI arrests in 2010 – a sobering figure. That would be the average of 65 arrests a day or 2.5 arrests per hour.

If you need legal advice, we recommend that you seek the advice of a licensed attorney. If you have any questions about this blog and/or need to talk with an attorney, contact us today for a free, no cost consultation to discuss your legal rights. At Strom Law Firm, LLC, our attorneys provide comprehensive legal services designed to protect your rights and your interests. Our lawyers are licensed in South Carolina, New York, and Georgia.

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