S.C. road deaths plummet in 2008

Seat belt use, more troopers get credit; Lexington deaths soar, however

Traffic deaths on state roads dropped nearly 17 percent in 2008, the largest decline in more than 35 years.

Increased seat belt use and more troopers on the road helped drive down fatalities. As of midnight Tuesday, the most recent figures available, there were 894 deaths, compared with 1,077 in 2007, according to the S.C. Department of Public Safety.

Not since 1995 have overall traffic deaths hovered around the 900 mark.

• South Carolina traffic fatalities

  Deaths on state roads dropped significantly in 2008. Public safety officials say the decrease may be largely the result of more seat belt use and increased trooper ranks.

  
  

  *
  Motor vehicle	661	808
  Motorcycle	108	122
  Pedestrian	95	109
  Bicycle	15	21
  Other**	15	17
  Total	894	1,077
  Seat belt use	79%	74.5%

  * As of midnight Tuesday, the most recent figures available

  ** Includes all-terrain vehicles and mopeds

  More on seat belts

  • In figures available for 2008, 659 people who died in motor vehicle crashes had access to seat belts in cars. Of those, 414, or nearly 63 percent, were not wearing seat belts.

  • In 2007, of the 804 who died but had access to seat belts, 493 were not buckled up, roughly 61 percent.

  SOURCE: S.C. Department of Public Safety

And, not since 2003 have fatalities been below 1,000.

“Our goal is to continue those numbers downward,” said Public Safety director Mark Keel. The 2008 figure includes all road deaths — motor vehicle, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian and all-terrain vehicles.

While most counties saw drops in traffic deaths, Lexington County’s shot up to 60 in 2008 from 41 the previous year —ranking it second statewide. Greenville had the most, with 67, but still saw a year-over-year decline.

Keel didn’t know why Lexington’s deaths were up. But the sprawling county is typical of many death zones — largely rural with many narrow roads.

“Of the 894 fatalities so far this year, 663, or 74 percent, were in rural areas,” said Ed Harmon, assistant director of the Department of Public Safety’s highway safety office, adding seat belt use is lower in rural areas.

Still, Keel said, the overall drop of deaths statewide is largely the result of increased seat belt use — now at 79 percent statewide, according to federal statistics. The national average is 83 percent.

Just five years ago, in 2004, state seat belt use was 65 percent. But since the state Legislature passed a mandatory seat belt law in 2005, use has risen and deaths have fallen.

Keel also credited an increase in trooper strength, to 970 officers, with making a difference. That’s a 200-person increase over two years ago.

Although motorcycle deaths dipped this year, 2008 marked the third year in a row biker deaths topped 100 — at 108 as of midnight Tuesday, compared with 122 the previous year.

South Carolina’s lack of a helmet law for adult bikers, officials say, is part of the reason.

Of the 108 motorcyclists killed, 86, or 76 percent, weren’t wearing helmets.

A fierce anti-helmet lobbying effort has state lawmakers wary of passing any laws that might force more helmet use.

Absent state action, Myrtle Beach has passed its own mandatory helmet law. After Feb. 28, bikers without helmets will face $100 fines.

The City Council took action after years of deaths among helmetless bikers each spring at biker events.

“They wear helmets in their own states; they’ll need to wear a helmet in Myrtle Beach,” said city spokesman Mark Kruea.

Lawsuits seeking to overturn the ordinance are under way in state and federal court. So far, judges have refused to block the law from going into effect.

A small part of the state’s lower death toll might be attributed to people driving less over the past year, Keel said.

That was a trend nationwide, as gasoline prices increased in 2008.

Estimates from the Federal Highway Administration indicate that driving nationwide will decline from 3 percent to 5 percent this year compared with last year. That also holds true for South Carolina.

But even a 5 percent drop in miles driven would not account for South Carolina’s significant drop in 2008 fatalities.

In 2009, Keel said the patrol will continue to work more with local law agencies and try to increase education about seat belts. The patrol teams with many local agencies to enhance traffic safety, he said.

The patrol may also press for new safety laws, he said, but specific initiatives have not been finalized.

Reach Monk at (803) 771-8344.

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