COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The South Carolina Highway patrol has held a memorial service to honor the more than 1,000 people who died in crashes on roads in the state in 2016.
Public Safety Department Director Leroy Smith said Saturday that troopers have been holding the event every year for three decades to help families cope with grief and draw attention to how dangerous South Carolina roads can be.
Highway deaths have been rising in South Carolina in recent years. Troopers say 823 people died on the state’s roads in 2014 and 979 died in 2015.
Officials say the 1,017 deaths in 2016 marked the first time the death toll has topped 1,000 people since 2007.
The service in Columbia included a display of all the names of those killed and a video tribute.
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