Four months after South Carolina stiffened the penalty for drinking and driving, law enforcement says it’s still too early to gauge its impact.

Aiken County South Carolina DUI

So far, the South Carolina Highway Patrol says it has seen a few more DUI arrests in Aiken County compared to the same period last year. Since the law took effect, state troopers have made 86 cases involving impaired drivers on state highways in Aiken County, 39 of which involved collisions. For the same time frame last year, the department made 66 DUI cases, 24 involving collisions.

South Carolina DUI Stats

This year’s statewide figures weren’t readily available, but last year the percentage of DUI-related deaths in crashes increased, according to state statistics. In 2008, of the 914 people killed on South Carolina highways, 461 — about 50 percent — were involved in DUI-related accidents. In 2007, alcohol-related accidents resulted in 463 — or 43 percent — of the 1,077 traffic deaths, according to safety officials.

Columbia County, South Carolina DUI

Across the river, DUI arrests have been holding steady for the past year. In Columbia County, sheriff’s Capt. Steve Morris said his department made 289 DUI arrests for all of 2008. So far this year, it has had 135 arrests.

Richmond County, South Carolina DUI

In Richmond County, the numbers are higher, with 1,511 DUI arrests in 2007, 1,485 in 2008 and 647 so far this year, said sheriff’s Maj. Richard Weaver.

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