Big Rig Accidents in South Carolina
In South Carolina, there is one traffic collision every 3.9 minutes and one fatal collision each 9.6 hours. The total number of traffic deaths increased from 823 in 2014 to 979 in 2015. This represents an increase of 19%. This data is reported by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. The number of deaths rose from 1.65 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2014 to 1.89 in 2015, according to the latest data available.
Fatal Truck Collisions
Truck collisions may result in serious injuries and fatalities. The number of deaths in big-rig accidents over a five year period from 2011 through 2015 dipped and then rose to the highest number in 2015. The information includes data for the truck tractor category from the report.
| Year | Fatalities | 2011 | 73 |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 69 |
| 2013 | 49 |
| 2014 | 47 |
| 2015 | 88 |
Of fatal truck crashes in 2015, the highest number occurred in April, with 13 deaths. In March, there were 8 fatal collisions which resulted in 7 deaths. The majority of accidents happened on clear or cloudy or dark and cloudy days and Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. The most common times were early mornings between 6 am, and 9 am and evenings from 6 pm to midnight.
Contributing Factors
Various factors contribute to fatal accidents. These factors are categorized by driver, roadway, non-motorist, environmental and defect in the vehicle. The primary contributing factor is reported for an accident even though there could be additional reasons. The first harmful event is the first act that occurs in an accident, although there could be additional acts. For instance, the first act in an accident may occur when the vehicle hits a guardrail. However, that sets off a chain of events that could cause the vehicle to hit other vehicles and cause serious injuries or fatalities.
Some of the most common factors that contributed to accidents of all types include speeding, failure to yield right-of-way, DUI, failure to obey a traffic signal, distracted driving, run off the road, aggressive driving, improper lane usage and wrong-way driving. These are considered driver errors. In some cases, the vehicle driver was ticketed for a traffic violation.
Roadway problems include such things as debris or obstructions in the road. Mechanical defects include tires or wheel problems, brake defects and lights not functioning properly. Non-motorist causes included pedestrian darting out into traffic, crossing the street improperly, illegally on the roadway and intoxicated pedestrian.