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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The City of Newberry was named a grand winner in the 2012 South Carolina Traffic Safe Community Awards by the AAA Carolinas Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Sgt. Chuck Rogers and Chief Jackie Swindler Jr. of the Newberry Police Department accepted the award during a ceremony on Jan. 13 at Seawell’s in Columbia.

Fifteen South Carolina communities were honored during the ninth-annual Traffic Safe Community awards luncheon hosted by the AAA Carolinas Foundation for Traffic Safety. Newberry was the grand winner in the 10,000-30,000 population category.

“One of the major issues the AAA Carolinas Foundation for Traffic Safety is tackling this year is texting while driving, with a strong focus on teen drivers, a group who has grown up continuously connected to cell phones and computers,” said Angela Vogel Daley, public relations manager for AAA Carolinas. “AAA Carolinas’ goal is to create a culture change among teens concerning texting while driving.”

The AAA Carolinas Foundation for Traffic Safety provides awards in an effort to recognize those towns and cities that make a strong effort to make our state’s roads safer.

Col. Michael Oliver, commander of the S.C. Highway Patrol, and Phil Riley from the S.C. Department of Public Safety, congratulated and honored local law enforcement and community representatives.

The communities recognized included: (* repeat winners)

Population greater than 30,000:

• Goose Creek* (Berkeley County)

• Rock Hill* (York County)

• Summerville* (Dorchester County)

• Spartanburg* (Spartanburg County)

• Charleston* (Charleston County)

Population between 10,000 and 30,000

• Newberry* (Newberry County)

• Mauldin* (Greenville County)

• Port Royal* (Beaufort County)

• Easley (Pickens County)

• Irmo* (Lexington and Richland Counties)

Population less than 10,000:

• Elloree* (Orangeburg County)

• Due West* (Abbeville County)

• Isle of Palms* (Charleston County)

• Iva (Anderson County)

• Lynchburg* (Lee County)