South Carolina car accident lawyers explain why crashes are so common in the state and how negligence often plays a role.
What state has the second most dangerous roads in the country? According to a recent, in-depth Forbes traffic safety study, South Carolina is the second most dangerous state for drivers nationwide based on a large number of serious and fatal car accidents statewide.
"While (auto) accidents can occur anywhere, some U.S. states have more dangerous roads than others," says the Forbes study, which compared car accident data for all 50 states based on several criteria.
At Johnson + Johnson, Attorneys At Law, we know how dangerous the state's roads can be, especially when drivers are reckless or negligent. If you or someone you care about was injured in a Lexington, South Carolina, car accident, contact us today to review your legal rights and potential options for compensation.
South Carolina car accidents are on the rise.
The recent Forbes study analyzed car accident data state by state compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Forbes then gave each state a score based on five different measurements:
- The total number of car accident deaths per capita by state
- The number of car accidents fatalities per capita by state
- What percentage of car accident deaths were due to speeding
- What percentage of car accidents fatalities were due to drunk driving
- What percent of car accident deaths increased or decreased from 2019 to 2020
Based on these five measurements, Forbes gave each state a score of zero to 100. The higher the score, the more dangerous the state is for drivers. South Carolina received the second-highest score of 41.8. Montana received the highest score of 45.85. The lowest score went to the safest driving state – New Jersey, with a score of 9.15.
Speeding accidents
The main reason South Carolina received such a high score – and why its roads are considered so dangerous – has a lot to do with the high number of car accident fatalities caused by speeding drivers.
According to the Forbes study, South Carolina has the country's most speeding-related car accident fatalities. An alarming 46 percent of car accident deaths in South Carolina are due to speeding drivers.
In addition, in recent years, speeding-related car accidents have only worsened in South Carolina. For example, the highest number of car accident fatalities due to speeding in more than a decade occurred in South Carolina in 2020. That year, 494 motor vehicle fatalities were speeding-related, a 77.6 percent increase compared to 2011, according to NHTSA accident data.
Drunk driving accidents
Another reason South Carolina received such a bad score on the Forbes traffic safety study is a large number of drunk driving accidents in the state. More than 1 in 3 car accident deaths – 36 percent – each year in South Carolina can be traced back to drunk drivers.
And like speeding accidents, collisions caused by impaired drivers have only worsened in recent years in South Carolina. Since 2017, there have been more drunk driving fatalities in South Carolina each year.
One of the worst years for drunk driving deaths in South Carolina was 2020 when there were 315 deaths due to collisions caused by drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher, according to NHTSA data. That's a 14.1 percent increase compared to 2019.
Contact the Lexington car accident lawyers who were born + raised in South Carolina.
Many car accident injury claims quickly turn into complicated legal cases. Sometimes, it's because the at-fault driver denies causing your crash. Other times, the insurance company does everything it can to avoid paying you the compensation you deserve.
Whatever legal obstacles you encounter after your car crash, the legal team at Johnson + Johnson, Attorneys At Law, can help you demand justice. We know the law. We know how to deal with insurance companies. And we never back down from a challenging legal case.
We also work on a contingency fee basis. That means no upfront money is required, and you pay no fees unless we win your case. It's that easy.
We are here to help. Contact us today and schedule a free case evaluation.
