South Carolina Lawyer Blog
After three years of steady decline, the number of people dying in traffic accidents has increased in South Carolina. The Department of Public Safety said that 593 people have died between January and September 2011, a twenty person increase from this time last year.
Most accidents involved the deaths of a person in a vehicle, but nearly 28% or 160 deaths were of pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists involved in vehicle accidents. Greenville County leads the state in the number of traffic fatalities. Agency representatives blamed good weather for leading SC residents to abandon their cars and walk or ride their motorcycles.
Tom Crosby, vice president for AAA of the Carolinas, however, believes the state’s approach to traffic safety is at fault. Crosby points to South Carolina’s history of easing driving rules and its recent refusal to limit cell phone use and texting for drivers.
“I’m not surprised when fatalities rise in South Carolina. The state has a certain appetite for traffic lawlessness under the false guise of personal liberty,” Cosby said in an interview with The State. He added, “That’s a big reason why South Carolina has some of the highest road deaths per mile in the country..
The car accident lawyers of Louthian Law Firm have represented the rights of accident victims and other injured South Carolinians since 1959. We’re committed to providing personalized service to you while aggressively going after wrongdoers. And because we know how financially devastating an accident can be, we never charge you a dime until your case is won.