Editorials from across South Carolina: hidden tax on driving, guns on campus, DUI education

Hidden tax on driving

The cost of a gas tax hike envisioned by the Senate plan is estimated at an average of $60 a year for state motorists (about 30 percent of the tax is paid by out-of-state drivers). Legislative naysayers should compare that figure to the far higher costs of auto repairs, congestion and safety hazards associated with the inadequacy of state roads and bridges.

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The gas tax debate and the curious case of Leroy Smith

Yes, your gas taxes do go to pay for SC roads

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An annual report from TRIP, a national transportation research group based in Washington, D.C., puts the price tag for those hidden costs at an incredible $1,850 a year for residents of the Charleston metropolitan area. Statewide the overall cost is assessed at $5.4 billion.

The $1,850 per year total includes the added safety and congestion-related costs imposed by poor road conditions and traffic-clogged highways. But even the safest Charleston area drivers who never travel at peak traffic hours can expect a whopping $452 per year due to “accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional repair costs, increased fuel consumption and tire wear.”

In other words, the “hidden tax” of poor roads costs even the best drivers at least seven times as much as increasing the gas tax and about 30 times more when all economic impacts are factored in.

Guns on campus

Much like the university’s police chief and a handful of students who were interviewed, we lean toward not allowing people with state-issued concealed weapons permits to freely carry on the Lander University (or any state college or university) campus.…

The thinking is that a law-abiding CWP holder will be responsible, but he or she can also come to the defense of others in the event an incident arises on campus, in a classroom in one of the campus buildings. Campuses have been hotbeds for hotheads who have gone on shooting rampages; thus, the logic being applied to allowing CWP holders to carry and not have to lock their weapons away when on campus.

Their guns are concealed; their strategy, not so much

There is an overarching expectation that a college or university campus is something of a safe zone. That’s what every parent who sends a child off to college desires. Of course, they are not entirely safe and there is no way college leadership can adequately police a campus and dorms to ensure complete safety. Still, the majority of students, professors and staff are more likely expecting — and wanting — guns to be in the hands of the campus police. Let professors teach, let students learn, let the police do what they are trained best to do.

DUI education

Strict enforcement of driving-under-the-influence laws is necessary in Elloree and throughout the state, which national statistics show is among the worst in the nation for highway deaths related to DUI. Though the rate of deaths associated with DUI has declined, it has been above 40 percent as recently as 2013.

Killer potholes? No, but we’ve got plenty of killer drivers

As important as enforcement is in battling DUI, education is also vital. People simply must know and accept there is too much risk — of death and injury, and of being arrested — involved to engage in such behavior.

The Tri-County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse has a new tool to aid Orangeburg County law enforcement in educating the community and enforcing impaired driving laws.

In January, the TCCADA purchased a portable electronic sign with funds from the Empowering Communities for Healthier Outcomes grant.…

In looking at best-prevention practices, combining aggressive publicity with enforcement acted as a strong deterrent to DUI, according to Tony Ackiss, ECHO coordinator for Orangeburg County. People reading or seeing messages about upcoming DUI enforcement may think twice about driving impaired as a result.

“The goal is to get the message out that those who choose to drive impaired stand a good chance of being stopped and arrested,” Ackiss said.…

If the signs serve to dissuade people from driving while impaired, it’s hard to call them anything but a good investment.

This story was originally published March 27, 2017 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Editorials from across South Carolina: hidden tax on driving, guns on campus, DUI education."