Holiday claims five lives statewide

Five motorists lost their lives this Labor Day weekend in South Carolina, though none of the deadly accidents took place in Aiken County.

According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, five motorists died in the last of the summer's busy driving weekends with fatalities reported in Charleston, Chester, Greenville, Lee and Marion counties.

Labor Day weekend is the end of the summer's major travel season and the end of the "100 deadly days of summer," which starts on Memorial Day. This summer, 251 lives have been ended on South Carolina's roads, which is down three from the 2008 total.

Four of the deadly wrecks over the holiday weekend were single-vehicle accidents; two of these were motorcycle drivers.

Though none of the deaths was in Aiken, so far in 2009, 26 individuals have lost their lives on the County's roadways. This figure is up 18 percent on last year's total by Labor Day, which was 22.

The last holiday weekend of summer is usually a target for police as they go out in force, specifically targeting those who drive under the influence.

Locally, South Carolina law enforcement came together under the Sober or Slammer program. The goal of the campaign is to curb the number of alcohol-related crashes and fatalities, while increasing compliance with traffic laws. The Labor Day mobilization involved hundreds of agencies and is the culmination of a summer-long, statewide public information and education campaign.

Contact Mike Gellatly at mgellatly@aikenstandard.com.