DEC. 7, 2009 — So what is it with you folks who can’t get enough of tailgating?

Seems like just about everybody these days must think that the only way they can exist on the road is to be only one car length away whether it’s on Savannah Highway, the Cooper River Bridge or while zipping down the Interstate (slightly) above the posted limit.

Don’t you realize that if you’re that close to the back end of another car that you will be toast if the car in front has to hit the brakes unexpectedly?

Wake up. Slow down. Back off a bit. Don’t prove to the world that South Carolina has the world’s worst drivers.

Geez. I feel like an old guy writing that. But with changes in driving habits over the last 25 years – more congestion, people talking on cell phones and (God forbid) people texting on the road – it seems more dangerous than ever on the road.

Maybe it is. Six years ago, South Carolina had 7,274 traffic collisions in which the primary cause was following too closely. In those, 2,946 were injured and four people died, according to the S.C. Department of Public Safety. In 2007, there were 8,476 tailgating collisions in which 2,842 people were injured. No people died.

So in just five years, collisions caused by following too closely went up almost 17 percent.

Charleston Police Lt. Chip Searson said local officers are more strictly enforcing traffic laws to make the roads safer. They’re writing more tickets and stopping more vehicles. And traffic stops aren’t just left to the 21-member police traffic enforcement division, he said. Most patrol officers write tickets these days, which creates an environment in which drivers tend to be more cautious … and safe.

Just look at some numbers. In 2005, for example, Charleston police had 25 traffic checkpoints – those stops in which police block off an area and check people’s licenses to find possible violations. Already this year, they’ve had 288 traffic checks, said Searson.

Another metric: Charleston police made about 125 driving under the influence arrests four years ago. In 2008, they cited 662 people for the offense.

The attention to making our streets safer for driving seems to be working. In 2007, there were 5,539 traffic collisions in Charleston. Last year, the number went down to 5,159 collisions — an 8 percent drop.

“Traffic is a very serious quality of life issue for many people – just as much as somebody breaking into someone’s house,” Searson said, adding that traffic officers work to try to control driver behavior. “The only way I know to do that is to give somebody a ticket” if they’re breaking the law.

So back to tailgaters. What do you do if somebody seems to want to drive through your trunk?

Searson advises that you should slow down and pull to the right to let them get past you, if you can do so safely.

Let’s all have a good — and safe — holiday season by slowing down a little and paying attention to traffic safety.

Andy Brack is publisher of CharlestonCurrents.com. You can reach him by email here.