As warnings turn to hard citations, state troopers and SCDOT draw a strict line between local safety breaks and illegal encampments.
By BC News Staff Writer
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC — South Carolina highway safety enforcement has entered a strict penalty phase as state authorities simultaneously target distracted driving and highway fatigue along the coast.
Law enforcement officers are now issuing full citations under the state’s hands-free driving statute, while state infrastructure officials strictly monitor interstate rest areas to enforce lodging boundaries.
Following a six-month grace period, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) is actively enforcing S.C. Code Section 56-5-3890, the South Carolina Hands-Free and Distracted Driving Act.
The statute explicitly bans holding or physically supporting a mobile device with any part of the body while driving.
Violations carry a flat $100 fine for a first offense, escalating to $200 and two driver’s license points for a second conviction within three years. Commercial drivers face a 60-day license disqualification for repeat infractions.
While the statutory text exempts motorists who are “lawfully parked or stopped”- meaning handling a device while completely motionless at a red light is technically permitted. State troopers warn that physical interaction with a device the exact moment a vehicle rolls forward triggers an immediate primary traffic violation.
To safely adjust navigation or combat drowsiness, state officials’ direct motorists to use the South Carolina Department of Transportation’s (SCDOT) 19 public rest areas. Under S.C. Code Section 56-5-2530, drivers are legally encouraged to sleep inside a locked, parked vehicle to avoid exhausted driving.
However, SCDOT regulations draw a sharp line between safety breaks and illegal camping. Entrance signage explicitly mandates that rest areas cannot be used for overnight lodging, camping, or group activities.
To remain compliant, travelers, including families towing pull-behind campers must keep operations entirely within the footprint of their vehicle. Parking is restricted to long-vehicle lanes, and extending RV slide-outs, deploying exterior awnings, lowering stabilizer jacks, or setting up outdoor camp gear remains strictly prohibited. Leaving an unattached trailer or vehicle on a highway right-of-way for over 48 hours constitutes a misdemeanor offense.
For local drivers and summer tourists alike, the message from state regulators is clear: pull over to rest, pull over to use the cell phone, but keep your hands off the device while driving and your camp gear packed until you pull into your campsite.
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