South Carolina – Fatal Car Crash Statistics

South Carolina – Fatal Car Crash Statistics

As of July 12, 2017, the state has seen 470 fatal car crashes, totaling in 512 people killed this year, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. Data from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration shows that there were 977 traffic fatalities in 2015. In 2014 the number was 823.

South Carolina Has the Highest Rate of Traffic Fatalities

The U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration recently released a detailed analysis by state. According to this report, the state showed the highest rate of traffic crash fatalities— a rate of 1.89 deaths for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2015. The NHTSA considers population, licensed drivers, registered vehicles, and vehicle miles traveled when determining these statistics. Of the vehicles involved in these fatal crashes, 39 percent were passenger cars.

Fatality Rate by County

The counties of Colleton and Williamsburg have the highest motor vehicle mortality rate with 35 per 100,000 people according to data from 2009 - 2015. The counties with the lowest vehicle mortality rate are Richland and Cherokee with 12 crash deaths for every 100,000 people in that county. Greenville County has the highest total number of mortalities at 487 deaths from 2009 - 2015, with a mortality rate of 15. Over that same period, Allendale County saw the lowest total number, with 12 total deaths.

Causes of Car Crash Mortality

The report from NHTSA detailed the causes of fatal accidents statewide for data from 2015.

  • Alcohol — Fatalities caused by alcohol impaired driving decreased 23 percent from 2006 to 2015 (Alcohol impaired is defined as having a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) equal to or greater than 0.08).
  • Speeding — 361 were speeding-related.
  • Seatbelt usage — approximately half of passengers and drivers killed were not wearing restraints.

Fatalities by Crash Type

Statistics published from the NHTSA show traffic mortalities by type of crash.

  • In 2015, 526 fatalities were single vehicle crashes, up from 503 in 2014.
  • Accidents involving a large truck caused 114 fatalities, a major increase from 63 in 2014.
  • 208 deaths were from cars that rolled over, up from 194 the previous year.
  • 540 fatal car crashes involved roadway departure, up from 501.
  • 200 deaths were from intersection-related accidents, 50 more than the year before.

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