Safe Roads = Lives Saved

ROAD SAFETY IS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE

Safety on South Carolina roads is a public health issue just as food, disease and suicide are. For years SC has ranked number 1 in the US for deaths by vehicle miles traveled (VMT). In 2023 there were 1,047 fatalities and 2,488 persons seriously injured on SC roads. It’s time to declare the dangers on our roads a public health crisis and adopt solutions proven to reduce collisions and save lives. One of these solutions is the use of Automated Road Safety Camera Systems (ARSC) to support law enforcement in its effort to monitor dangerous driving behaviors, such as speeding and running red lights. Many road deaths could have been prevented with this technology. 

Facts about collisions as public health concern include:

• Accidents are the 3rd leading cause overall of deaths in SC, following heart disease and cancer, and traffic crashes form a significant component of the accident category.

• Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of injury or death for 1–9-year-olds, 15–24-year-olds and 65–74-year-olds in SC in 2022.

• In 2022 there were more accidental deaths in SC than covid-19 deaths.

• In 2023 there were 1,019 gun deaths in SC and 1,047 crash deaths.

• Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities increased from 2022-2023, as did traffic collision injuries.

• In 2023 on SC roads there was one traffic collision every 3.6 minutes, one injury-producing collision every 15.2 minutes, one fatal collision every 9 hours.

• In 2023 one motorcyclist was killed every 2.9 days, one bicyclist every 14 days.

• In 2023, one teen driver (15-19) was involved in a fatal or injury-producing collision every 1.5 hours and one child under 8 was seriously injured or killed every 5.8 days.

You can help to solve this crisis by contacting your legislator and asking that safety on SC roads be given the attention it deserves and that municipalities be allowed to introduce ARSC, life saving technology.