Articles Posted in Auto & Car Accidents

What began as an attempt to relieve the backlog of drunk driving cases in South Carolina’s state summary courts may have exposed a major flaw in the state’s ability to build cases against drunk driving suspects and eventually convict them.

Last year, Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal of the South Carolina Supreme Court issued orders to judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and courts around the state to eliminate or seriously decrease the backlog of drunk driving cases. In the four months that followed, state courts eliminated over 11,000 cases, but fewer than half resulted in convictions.

Recent news coverage of South Carolina’s potential drunk driving loopholes not only revealed the low conviction rate, but also highlighted a pattern of case dismissals that some prosecutors say was caused by recent legislation that was intended to make the punishments for drunk driving tougher.

Traffic accidents are the number one killer of teens in South Carolina. In an effort to reach teen drivers, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and Subway restaurants have partnered for a new safety campaign. The campaign, W8 2 TXT, encourages teens to text after they are done driving.

“We care deeply about the community. The distracted driving issue hit home for us when a tragic texting collision impacted our Subway restaurant family in 2010,” said Ali Saifi, president and chief executive officer of Subway Development Corporation of South Carolina Inc. “We want everyone to understand the dangers of distracted driving and realize there isn’t a call, text or status update that can’t wait..

In 2011, 165 drivers between 15 to 24 years old died in traffic accidents. No statistics currently exist for the number of young people who were distracted or texting during their fatal collisions. However, the SC Department of Public Safety points to a Virginia Tech study that found that texting drivers were 23 times more likely to crash.

In a grim start to the new year, the number of fatal highway accidents in South Carolina has increased. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety reported a 49% increase in fatal traffic deaths in January 2012 compared to the same period in 2011. Sixty-one people died in highway accidents in January 2012 compared to 41 in 2011.

Lance Cpl. Sonny Collins with SC Highway Patrol had no explanation for the increase in deaths. He said the numbers shouldn’t be alarming, suggesting that January 2011’s numbers were unusually low and any increase is to be expected. In a response to the increase in deaths to 7 On Your Side, his colleague, Lance Cpl. Bill Rhyne said, “It would really be taking a shot in the dark to say why there are so many people being involved in these collisions at this point in time.” Of the 61 SC road fatalities in 2012, 14 people were pedestrians or cyclists.

Of the 47 that died in vehicles, 27 or about 57% of people were not wearing seat belts. Nearly half (47%) of all fatal traffic accident victims in motor vehicles were not wearing seat belts in 2011, according to state government statistics.

South Carolina was the second most deadly state in 2011 for pedestrians and cyclists according to a new government-funded report by the Alliance for Biking and Walking. While South Carolina has one of the lowest numbers of bicyclists and pedestrians (ranked 44 of 50 states), pedestrian and cyclist deaths account for a disproportionate 11.9 percent of all traffic fatalities in the state.

The full report, published bi-annually since 2003, examines each state’s publicly reported traffic fatality rates. It also examines key indicators that promote a culture of pedestrian and bicyclist safety. South Carolina is also among the bottom third in the country in safety policy and 46th in safety funding. SC, paradoxically, is also among the top third in the per capita number of pedestrian/bike safety advocacy organizations.

Seniors are the most vulnerable population. According to the most recent data available, 2007-2009, those 65 and over account for a higher share of pedestrian and cyclist deaths nationally than any other age group. Seniors make up 19% of all pedestrian fatalities and 10% of bicyclist fatalities.

With 52 traffic fatalities last year, Lexington County had the second worst highway safety record in South Carolina during 2011, Sheriff James Metts told Columbia-based WIS-TV. Sheriff Metts estimated that 60 percent of those deadly auto accidents involved drivers who were impaired by alcohol or drugs.

“We had more deaths in Lexington County last year by vehicle than we had by any other means,” he said in the recent report. Sheriff Metts called on lawmakers to increase funding for law enforcement, including more State Troopers to crack down on drunk driving in South Carolina. We have reported here before about South Carolina’s trooper shortage and efforts to increase the number of officers patrolling the state’s roads.

Law enforcement and victims’ families also urged state lawmakers to increase the penalties for driving under the influence and to make it easier to get convictions for motorists charged with DUI. In the meantime, Sheriff Metts said deputies will step up their efforts to target impaired drivers in Lexington County.

The debate over whether all motorcyclists in South Carolina should be required to wear helmets has once again come up in the state legislature. State Sen. Ralph Anderson of Greenville has sponsored a bill that would make helmets mandatory for all riders, instead of only those younger than 21. Gov. Nikki Haley has promised to veto the bill should it reach her desk.

Passing a mandatory motorcycle helmet law would put South Carolina in line with 20 other states, including its neighbors in Georgia and North Carolina, which already require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets.

The bill’s introduction comes at a time when South Carolina is experiencing a double-digit increase in the number of motorcycle fatalities on its roads. Although it’s true that there are a number of factors that could be responsible for the spike in motorcycle deaths, it is clear that wearing a helmet can significantly reduce the likelihood of being killed or seriously injured in a South Carolina motorcycle crash.

Preliminary reports indicate that South Carolina traffic accidents claimed more lives in 2011 than the year before, marking the first increase in highway deaths since 2007. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, 818 people perished in South Carolina auto accidents last year, up 9 over the 2010 toll.

This step backwards is particularly disturbing at a time when the nation as a whole is experiencing a continuing decline in the number of overall traffic deaths. Nationwide, auto accident fatalities hit a 61-year low in 2010, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Preliminary reports from other states show that the overall downward trend continued last year.

Why is South Carolina different? Part of the explanation is that the state is experiencing more pedestrian and motorcycle fatalities, according to an article in Columbia’s The State newspaper. Early numbers revealed that at least 110 pedestrians died in South Carolina during 2011, up 21 over the previous year’s tally. South Carolina motorcycle fatalities followed a similar trend, with at least 20 more deaths in 2011 than in 2010.

A recent opinion column in the Post and Courier calls on South Carolina’s Department of Transportation (SCDOT) to think more about cyclists’ needs and safety on the James Island Connector. SCDOT recently banned pedestrians and cyclists on the popular bridge after a recent cyclist death. No safe and efficient alternate routes currently exist for those seeking to get to James Island by foot or bike.

The op-ed calls for both improvements to the connector and other routes for the sake of cyclists and pedestrians. The bridge was not originally designed to handle anything but cars and trucks, but local officials have long debated ways to make the connector safer. The local mayor, Joe Riley, supported a recent measure to convert one lane on the bridge for pedestrian and bicycle use, but funding issues have stymied the effort.

Charleston Moves, a local advocacy group, is looking for alternatives to a complete ban. Charleston Moves says the SCDOT ban is “running away from what’s needed.” The group has begun talks with engineers to discuss the viability of foot and bike traffic on the bridge. Possible alternatives may include a cantilevered walkway, retrofitting the bridge, and/or lowering the speed limit. So far, SCDOT has not joined the talks.

Our South Carolina car accident attorneys recently reported about the dangers of driving with a cold – considered another form of distracted driving. South Carolinians and all Americans have been bombarded with the hazards of texting while driving, and other dangerous distracted driving behaviors. While some in the general public believe the warnings are excessive, our attorneys have seen the devastating impact of distracted driving.

Using electronic devices such as cell phones and GPS technology while driving are the usual distractions that drivers are warned against that can result in serious accidents and highway traffic fatalities. The list of possible distractions is seemingly endless, and by being aware of some of the most common distractions, drivers can help make our South Carolina highways safer.

Common Driving Distractions

A report on ABC News this week identified yet one more hazard for drivers – the common cold. According to researchers in Great Britain, a person that gets behind the wheel with a heavy cold is just as dangerous as someone who has just downed four double shots of whiskey.

The research conducted by Young Marmalade, a UK-based car insurance company, and Cardiff University in Wales, found that drivers who were sick drive erratically and have slowed reaction times. In fact, the ABC News Health blog cited data from the study that found that driving skills of sick drivers “dropped by about 50 percent when compared with those who were healthy..

The researchers identified lack of sleep from cold symptoms as the primary culprit affecting sick drivers, and not medication. However, taking cold medication can cause drowsiness and may further impact the dangers of driving with a cold.