Darlington sees high number of DUS arrests

DARLINGTON — While driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol are major concerns for law enforcement officers everywhere, Darlington police say the cases of another traffic offense far outnumber those of DUI in their jurisdiction.

Driving under suspension penalties aren’t normally as stiff as those imposed for DUI, but it is still a serious crime that keeps patrol officers busy, Darlington Police Chief Jay Cox said.

As of Wednesday, Darlington police had 105 DUS arrests or citations in 2009, Darlington Police Capt. Danny Watson said.

That number is more than double the number of motorists who were arrested this year for DUI, he said.

To date, the department has had about 44 DUI arrests, Watson said.

“We do more DUS arrests than DUI,” Cox said. “In the scheme of things, DUS has a profound effect on (South Carolina) insurance rates.”

DUS convictions alone don’t raise insurance rates, but when coupled with driving uninsured violations, rates go up for everyone, Watson said. This is because the two crimes are connected and are often committed by the same offender at the same time.

“A person who drives around with a suspended driver’s license generally is driving around uninsured,” he said.

Uninsured drivers cause rates to increase when they are involved in crashes with other motorists, said Allison Dean Love, executive director of the S.C. Insurance News Service.

“A lot of people drive uninsured or with minimum liability,” she said. “It may not be enough money for you to go to the hospital or to fix your car.”

Love said some law-abiding residents try to protect themselves from that situation by purchasing uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.

More coverage is good, she said, but this will cause auto insurance plans to cost more.

A driver’s license can be suspended for any number of offenses, including violations some think aren’t even related to driving, Cox said. For example, failure to pay child support can result in a DUS.

Those convicted of drug crimes and underage drinking, too, can have their driving privileges suspended, the chief said.

Failure to pay a traffic ticket can result in a DUS, as well. In some cases, a reinstatement fee is applied to an unpaid traffic ticket by the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles, Cox said.

“You can pay the ticket, but a lot of people don’t realize you are still under suspension until you pay the $100 fee. That money goes straight to the state and not to the agency that issued the ticket,” he said.

A DUS can also be incurred for not paying property taxes, Cox said. But state legislators have said law enforcement officers cannot take someone to jail whose license is suspended for not paying property taxes. Any other reason is an arresting offense.

Cox said he isn’t sure if he agrees with the law.

“I think a DUS is a DUS,” he said. “If you treat one one way, you got to treat the other the same way.”

Darlington police data show the department is well on its way to surpassing its three-year DUS arrest high which was reached in 2007, when the agency had 224 on record. In July 2007, the agency reported 147 DUS on record, which is just more than what police reported this month.

DUS numbers were down in 2008 when about 87 DUS were reported in July and 181 for the year, Watson said.