In The News

South Carolina Highway Statistics Looking Good

March 21, 2006

So far this year the number of people in South Carolina who suffered a fatality on our state’s highways has declined from the same period versus the past two years. The statistics, recently made available by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, show that some improvements that have taken place over the past few years are finally showing their desired outcomes.

Ending March 19 there were 166 people who died in traffic accidents in South Carolina this year. Last year during the same period 216 people died in similar accidents and in 2004 some 216 people were also killed in the same timeframe. Officials are saying that the improvement is the result of many factors including a new seatbelt law that took effect late 2005.

As of December 9, 2005 police in South Carolina were able to make traffic stops based on drivers who weren’t properly wearing their seatbelts. This change has led to an increase in traffic stops by police and additional charges against drivers. Out of the deaths this year 87 motor vehicle occupants were not wearing seatbelts. Not wearing a seatbelt has proven nationwide to increase a person’s chance of being injured in a vehicle accident.

Vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death in children who are aged 2-14 in South Carolina. While seatbelt use is appropriate for older children, safety seats, child car seats and booster seats are being more widely accepted and used throughout the state. Booster seat use accompanied with seatbelts in children aged 4-8 in South Carolina has improved the likelihood of avoiding injury for those passengers.

South Carolina’s traffic safety record has been troubling for some time. Children and young people in general are being injured and killed in vehicle accidents for many different reasons. Numbers have shown that 85 percent of all infants and toddlers may be improperly restrained in their seats, causing the potential for a serious injury or even death. While this statistic is alarming, efforts to spread the word about car safety have been ramped up statewide and the latest statistic may be indicative of this work.

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