Deteriorating rest areas and a string of highway crimes compelled South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon to take a hard look at the safety of the state’s rest stops on the Interstate highway system.
Condon visited with officials in Georgia to learn what steps they have taken to improve the security of rest areas there.
“Virginia and South Carolina are the only [Southern] states to have violent crime reported at rest stops this summer. That is intolerable,” said Condon. “These are parking areas that don’t have any facilities. Truckers are afraid to stop there because of the sexual activity that takes place.”
J. Richards Todd, president of the South Carolina Trucking Association, said anything that can be done to expand as well as improve the rest stops is welcome. “There are a lot of [them] without any facilities,” he said. “A lot of people are a little nervous about the crime and seedy behavior that goes on, too.”
For the full story, see the Sept. 4 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
