High Marks for Mount Pleasant Traffic Safety

Mount Pleasant is one of the safest places in the Palmetto State to drive, according to AAA awards recently distributed by the auto club.

The town of Cameron, city of Hanahan and town of Mount Pleasant have been named grand winners of the 2011 AAA Traffic Safe Community of the Year, one for each of three population categories, according to a AAA news release.

Mount Pleasant police nabbed the grand prize for the third consecutive year for its education efforts, AAA noted. Officers routinely participate in education projects in elementary and high schools where officers teach pedestrian, bicycle and motor vehicle safety.

Officers have also recently tapped into social media to alert the community of ongoing programs and traffic and safety conditions.

“South Carolina continues to have a disproportionate number of fatalities at 1.6 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, according to preliminary data for last year,” said Tom Crosby, president of AAA Carolinas Foundation for Traffic Safety.

“Traditionally, this rate is among the highest in the nation,” Crosby said in a news release.

Mount Pleasant won the award for the largest population segment recognized by AAA. Officers traveled to Columbia on Thursday to accept the honor. Summerville and Goose Creek were also mentioned on the list.

In addition to innovation, such as the education and social media efforts, AAA also selects departments by examining crash statistics, number of law enforcement officers per capita, presence of a formal traffic safety program and/or existence of a special traffic division.

Mount Pleasant receives grant funds for a two-officer DUI interdiction unit, and according to a recent Post and Courier story, the town makes the largest number of DUI arrests in the state.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte provided the statistical analysis and the AAA Carolinas Foundation chose winners in each category, giving extra emphasis to those communities that are proactive in enhancing traffic safety efforts.