As the largest law enforcement agency in South Carolina, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) provides highway and public safety services throughout the state. The SCDPS includes the Highway Patrol, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services, Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame. SCDPS has approximately 1,300 employees serving across the state, providing a wide range of public safety services focused on making South Carolina a safer place to live, work, and raise a family.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were nearly 325,000 people injured in distraction-related crashes in 2023. The hands-free driving law aims to reduce the number of distracted driving collisions on South Carolina roads. On September 1, 2025, the South Carolina Hands-Free and Distracted Driving Act went into effect, and citations will begin on February 28, 2026. The New State Law: South Carolina Hands-Free and Distracted Driving Act brochure is part of the Hands Free SC campaign, which seeks to educate the public about the state’s new hands-free law. To learn more about the Hands Free SC campaign, visit https://scdps.sc.gov/HandsFree.
The complete list of November electronic South Carolina state publications is now available. The South Carolina Digital State Documents Depository provides electronic access to state agency publications. These publications provide citizens with crucial information about the state government, including statistics, reports, and data on a wide variety of topics related to the state.
For more information about our state publications depository, visit our online guide.
