RICHLAND COUNTY (WACH) -- The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is out in full force to curb dangerous driving as the summer travel season revs up.
“Our main function out here is not to write tickets,” says Sheriff Deputy Micky Johnson. “Do we have to do it at times? Yes, we do.”
Johnson is a member of the Traffic Safety Unit for the Richland County Sheriff's Department.
While Johnson does issue citations, he hopes he is driving home a message of safety.
“That's a 3,000 pound weapon. That vehicle or that weapon kills more people than a handgun."
According to officials, motorists who speed, tailgate, ignore red lights and switch lanes without warning are likely contributors to the more than six million crashes that occur in the U.S. each year.
“Nobody wants to get that phone call that their child was injured in a wreck.”
As a father of five, it's Johnson's worst nightmare.
On Friday, Johnson pulled two people over minutes apart. Both drivers traveling 20 miles-per-hour above the speed limit in a busy residential suburb.
“Lately, we have been doing one check point in a community per week. There’s just something about that Dodge Charger. It's widely-known within the county.”
Johnson adds the Traffic Safety Unit's presence in the area is also helping to curb crime.
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