WMBFNews.com | Myrtle Beach/Florence, SC | News, Weather, SportsPolice keep an eye on holiday traffic

Police keep an eye on holiday traffic

By Jennifer Grove - bio | email

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Myrtle Beach Police say they will be keeping a close eye on the roads this holiday.

"Police don't take a vacation," Officer Paul Morrell said simply. 

Morrell says this holiday they will be looking out for any violations that could put others in danger and a DUI crackdown is only the beginning.

"Speeding, seatbelts, following too closely, not using turn signals; those are just some of the violations that we're looking for," Sergeant John Bertang explained.

Bertang says a growing concern is cell phone use behind the wheel.

"Just because we don't have a law prohibiting cell phone usage in the car, that doesn't mean that you can't be distracted while driving," Bertaing said.

"Young drivers to elderly drivers, people are on the phone and although it's not a law it's an incredible distraction," Morrell said.

"A lot of times people are talking or texting on their cell phone, they're not paying attention to their speed and that's where they can get into trouble," Bertang added.

Morrell says cell phones are not the only technology, however, that may be getting drivers in trouble.

"Every other feature they put in these cars, GPS, I mean they're adding something that's going to distract the drivers attention from the roadway where their attention needs to be," he said.

Myrtle Beach Police say they will be looking for all violations, both big and small. Bertang says often a seatbelt violation can lead to uncovering larger violations like driving without a license or a stolen vehicle. 

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