Study reveals some roads in South Carolina are more dangerous than others.
South Carolina's state highways have the second-highest car accident fatality rate of any state in the country, according to a recent nationwide traffic safety study conducted by MoneyGeek. And South Carolina isn't alone. State highways are consistently the deadliest type of road in the nation.
"State highways are the most dangerous roads in the United States, with 33% of all auto-related deaths occurring on these roads," the study reported. "Our study found that in 30 states, more crash fatalities take place on state highways than on any other road type."
Crashes are common on South Carolina state highways
MoneyGeek's traffic safety study compared car accident deaths in each state based on which types of roads the motor vehicle fatalities occurred on between 2019 and 2021.
The study focused on five different types of roads:
- State highways (high-speed roads maintained by the state)
- U.S. highways (high-speed roads maintained by the federal government)
- Local streets (local roads with speed limits of 20 to 45 mph)
- Interstate highways (high-speed roads that serve state-to-state traffic)
- County roads (roads maintained by a state-organized municipality or town)
South Carolina finished second worst in the category of fatal crashes on state highways. Between 2019 and 2021, South Carolina recorded 1,731 car accident deaths on state highways. That figure represents 57.7 percent of all car accident deaths in the state, which was the second-highest accident rate for state highways in the nation.
U.S. highways in S.C. are also dangerous
South Carolina finished in the top 10 in another category for the most car accident fatalities of any state. Overall, South Carolina had the 8th highest car accident fatality rate for U.S. highways between 2019 and 2021.
During that period, 818 people died in fatal car accidents on U.S. highways in South Carolina. That figure represents 27.3 percent of all car accident fatalities in the state during that period, according to MoneyGeek.
Other types of dangerous roads
As for the other three types of roads in the traffic safety study, South Carolina had 2,998 car accident fatalities between 2019 and 2021. Those accidents occurred on the following types of roads:
- 0.2 percent of car accident deaths on local streets.
- 3.7 percent on county roads.
- 11.1 on interstate highways.
If you were hurt in a crash, contact a car accident lawyer
If you've been injured in a car accident in South Carolina, seeking legal representation might not seem necessary, especially when fault for the crash appears clear-cut. However, what initially seems like a straightforward case can quickly turn into a complex legal matter.
Even if the at-fault driver was speeding, texting while driving, or impaired, challenges can arise when they deny responsibility or when their insurance company tries to minimize compensation. To protect their profits, insurance companies often strive to find reasons to offer minimal or no compensation to injury victims.
At Johnson + Johnson, Attorneys At Law, our Lexington, SC car accident lawyers know how to investigate crashes, build strong cases, negotiate with insurance companies, and, if needed, fight for our clients' best interests in court.
Get the car accident attorneys that get results, and schedule a free case evaluation with our law firm. It costs nothing to learn about your potential legal options, and we work on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay no fees unless we win your case. Contact us today.
