Every June, National Safety Month gives us a chance to pause and think about something we often take for granted: getting home safely.

Led by the National Safety Council since 1996, National Safety Month is a nationwide effort to raise awareness about preventable injuries and deaths. It reminds us safety is not just a policy, a checklist or a training topic. Safety is personal. It is about the people we work beside, the families we return home to and the everyday decisions that can change everything in a single moment.

For employers, public safety agencies, families and communities, June is an important time to talk openly about the risks we face at work, on the road and in daily life. The focus areas for National Safety Month include important topics such as continuous improvement, employee engagement, roadway safety and wellness. Each of these areas points to the same truth: preventing harm takes awareness, commitment and care from all of us.

One of the most important safety issues we continue to face

Most people know texting and driving is dangerous, but distraction can happen in more than one way. The National Safety Council identifies three types of distracted driving: visual, manual and cognitive.

A visual distraction takes your eyes off the road. It might be turning around to check on a child in the back seat or looking down at a notification on your phone.

A manual distraction takes your hands off the wheel. This can include eating, adjusting something in the car, reaching for an item or using a phone.

A cognitive distraction takes your mind away from driving. Even daydreaming, stress or thinking about everything waiting for you at your destination can reduce your ability to react safely.

At least eight people are killed every day in distracted driving-related crashes. Behind that number are families, friends, coworkers and entire communities affected by a loss that might have been preventable.

Small choices can make a real difference

Before driving, take a few moments to get ready. Adjust your mirrors. Choose your music or podcast. Enter your destination into GPS before leaving. Make sure children are settled, bags are secure and anything you might need is within safe reach.

Once you are moving, let driving be the only task. Keep your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road and your attention on what is happening around you. If you need to make a call, respond to a message, help a child or handle something urgent, pull over somewhere safe and well-lit.

Safety is not about being perfect. It is about being present.

In Lexington County, National Safety Month is an opportunity to renew our commitment to protecting one another. Whether you are driving to work, serving the community, managing a team or heading home after a long day, your choices matter.

A safer community begins with people who care enough to slow down, pay attention, speak up and look out for each other. This June, let’s use National Safety Month as a reminder that safety is not something we think about only after something goes wrong.

It is something we practice every day, because every life is worth protecting.

In law enforcement, we are trained to look beyond a single data point and focus on patterns. Right now in Lexington County, an encouraging pattern is taking shape. Overdose deaths are trending downward. That matters. It reflects lives saved, families spared and a community beginning to turn the corner on one of the biggest public safety challenges we face.

But let me be clear: progress is not permission to ease up. It is proof that what we are doing together is working.

The data tells a story:

• 2020: 112 overdose deaths
• 2021: 106 overdose deaths
• 2022: 125 overdose deaths
• 2023: 107 overdose deaths
• 2024: 93 overdose deaths
• 2025: 75 overdose deaths

From a peak of 125 deaths in 2022 to 75 in 2025, Lexington County has seen a nearly 40 percent reduction in overdose deaths over three years. That is not accidental. That is the result of sustained, coordinated effort between a number of different organizations.

That effort is all about collaboration, particularly between law enforcement, EMS, the Lexington County Overdose Fatality Review Board and our community partners, such as LRADAC, the Courage Center and Uplift Lexington. Each brings a different capability to the table. Together, those capabilities create a more complete response.

Law enforcement works to disrupt supply and hold traffickers accountable. EMS provides immediate, life-saving intervention in overdose situations. LRADAC and the Courage Center connect individuals to treatment, recovery resources and long-term support. None of these efforts, standing alone, would produce the kind of outcomes we are now seeing.

Still, this moment calls for discipline, not complacency.

Here is what the data demands of us moving forward:

• Reducing access and availability of illicit substances must remain a priority through enforcement and prevention strategies
• Expanding access to tools such as Narcan continues to save lives and should remain widely promoted
• Sustained collaboration between agencies and organizations drives innovation and ensures we are meeting real community needs

There is no single solution to the overdose crisis. There never has been. What we are seeing now in Lexington County is the result of a layered strategy, executed consistently and collaboratively.

The takeaway is straightforward: when we work together, we make a difference.

The responsibility ahead is just as clear. Maintain the relationships. Invest in what works. Adapt where needed. And above all, remain committed to the shared goal of safer communities.

The progress is real. Now we have to keep it that way.

Sheriff Bryan “Jay” Koon was sworn in as the 39th sheriff of Lexington County in 2015. He is a graduate of Lexington High School, the University of South Carolina and the FBI’s National Academy. In 2023, Koon was named the sheriff of the year by the South Carolina Sheriffs’ Association. He resides in Lexington with his wife, Kim, a long-time middle school teacher.