Mount Pleasant, Hanahan and Elloree are the three South Carolina communities named grand winners of the 2009 Traffic Safe Community of the Year today, one for each population category, by AAA Carolinas’ Foundation for Traffic Safety.

            “South Carolina remains the second worst state in the nation for the percentage of traffic deaths involving alcohol,” said Dave Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas.

“The good news is traffic deaths overall dropped 15% last year to 920, along with a 13% drop in alcohol involved deaths and a 14% drop in motorcycle fatalities.”

            Traffic safety is a major public health issue for South Carolina, yet swine flu receives more attention than the three to five people that will die on our highways today.

“Making our streets safer is a team effort,” said Parsons. “And South Carolina has several communities that have stepped up to the challenge.”

Mark Keel, of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, also presented awards to local law enforcement and community representatives at the sixth annual awards luncheon at Seawell’s Catering in Columbia.

The winners are:

• Mount Pleasant, Charleston County (Population greater Than 30,000).

The Mount Pleasant Police Department participated in a range of education projects throughout the grade levels including drivers ed in the high shools and pedestrian and bicycle safety in the middle and elementary schools.  They practice extra enforcement, checkpoints and publicity campaigns over the holidays to focus on drunken driving.

• Hanahan, Berkeley County (Population between 10,000 and 30,000).

The entire Hanahan traffic team practices aggressive enforcement in areas with high need and areas that have proven prone to accidents and injuries.  They also educate the community in schools and civic organizations about new laws and defensive driving techniques.

• Elloree, Orangeburg County (Population less Than 10,000).

The Elloree Police Department was recognized for their zero tolerance nights, participation in DUI and Click It or Ticket campaigns and the safety checkpoints they perform in the community.

The foundation recognized 12 other communities with outstanding awards for leadership in traffic safety including:

Population greater Than 30,000:

• Sumter, Sumter County.

• Goose Creek, Charleston County.

• Rock Hill, York County.

• Summerville, Dorchester County.

Population between 10,000 and 30,000:

• Newberry, Newberry County.

• Port Royal, Beaufort County

• Mauldin, Greenville County.

• Simpsonville, Greenville County.

Population less Than 10,000:

• Lancaster, Lancaster County.

• York, York County.

• Mayesville, Sumter County.

• Lynchburg, Lee County.

Traffic safe communities are selected by looking at crash statistics, number of law enforcement officers per capita, presence of a formal traffic safety program and/or existence of a special traffic division. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte provided the statistical analysis and the Carolina Motor Club Foundation chose winners in each category giving extra emphasis to those communities that are proactive in enhancing traffic safety efforts.

AAA Carolinas’ Foundation for Traffic Safety is a non-profit organization founded by AAA Carolinas and funded by AAA Carolinas’ member contributions that works to promote traffic safety initiatives in North and South Carolina.