Many people don’t know as much as they think they do about the causes and outcomes of auto accidents in South Carolina. The statistics discussed in this post were compiled through the research and fact gathering of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, based on the auto accidents that occurred in South Carolina in 2015. These statistics have a lot to tell us about South Carolina traffic, and they reveal that a single year can see 20 deaths out of every 100K South Carolina citizens caused by auto accidents. To put this into perspective, that’s nearly twice as many deaths as the overall average in the United States.

Armed with this information, we want to do what we can to change this alarming trend by looking deeper into the problem and answering the most important questions:

• Why does South Carolina have so many auto accident deaths each year?
• What can we do to change that?
• What do you do if you’ve been injured or lost a loved one in a SC auto accident?

What Are the Most Common Causes of South Carolina Auto Accident Fatalities?

The most common causes of South Carolina auto accident fatalities are drunk driving, speeding, and distracted driving (specifically, texting while driving). You’ll recognize these causes as all being against the law, yet that hasn’t curbed their frequency enough to prevent thousands of deaths each year. Out of nearly 1,000 deaths in South Carolina auto accidents, more than 300 were caused by drunk drivers. Over 360 were caused by speeding.

Meanwhile, texting is a more recent contributor to fatal auto accidents, which leads to more than 3,000 auto accident deaths in the United States each year and more than 430K injuries. These days, when you think of distracted driving, you think of texting. However, there are still plenty of other distractions which cause fatal accidents, including messing with the radio, talking on the phone, talking to passengers, daydreaming, and eating.

There are a lot of other causes of fatal auto accidents in South Carolina, with some of the more common ones being fatigue and following too closely behind other drivers, resulting in rear end auto accidents when the rear driver doesn’t have enough time to stop to prevent an accident.

How Can You Avoid Becoming a Part of This Alarming Statistic?

Every driver on South Carolina roads should be aware of how dangerous it is to drive in this state and should take precautions to avoid adding to the disproportionately high number of deaths that occur on our roads each year.  This means that you need to pay attention to the road, follow the rules, and never drive drunk. Keep in mind that it is not just your own life at stake when you engage in dangerous driving behaviors. You could be the cause of someone else’s tragedy, and that’s a difficult thing to live with when you are the one who survives your own negligent behavior, and someone else does not.

Having said that, when it comes to the negligent behaviors of others, there is little that you can do, aside from being a defensive driver and being extra cautious when you notice others driving in ways that are dangerous. Still, you can’t always prevent an auto accident caused by someone else’s negligence. If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one in an accident that was caused by another driver’s negligent actions (or lack of action), then you have a right to compensation for your injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. If you lost a loved one, then no amount of money can assuage your grief, but you are still entitled to compensation for the associated medical expenses, funeral expenses, and loss of companionship and income.

Contact the Connell Law Firm to Fight for Your Right to Compensation

Many people make the mistake of accepting a lowball settlement offer from an auto insurance company. They do this because they are under stress and don’t want to fight for the compensation they deserve, or they don’t know that their case is worth so much more. Before you talk to the insurance company, call the experienced car accident attorneys of South Carolina at the Connell Law Firm to find out what your case is really worth. We offer a free consultation to discuss your case and your options, and we don’t get paid unless you get the compensation you deserve. Call today to schedule your consultation.