Bus Involved in Multiple Injury Crash on U.S. Highway 17 Northbound in Georgetown, South Carolina

GEORGETOWN, SC- Wsav.com writes that a bus crashed, causing multiple injuries in Georgetown. The transit bus was carrying a passenger at the time, and reports indicate that around twenty people suffered injuries in the collision.*

South Carolina has a poor record when it comes to car crashes. In 2016, the state ranked third in the country for fatal wrecks. Distracted driving is often considered one main reason for the state's poor performance. The state has a no texting law but has not enacted a hands-free law. The state recently proposed a full hands-free law that would make it illegal to use any electronic handheld device for any reason. Currently, police complain that the no texting law is difficult to enforce. If an officer sees a phone in someone's hand and pulls that person over, the person could just claim that they were using the device for navigation or another purpose not specifically illegal based on the law.

Lawmakers in the state recently proposed a similar law, but it did not pass. 

Hands-free laws exist in 21 states. In Georgia, where the law was enacted last year, the state officials credit their hands-free law with reducing the number of fatal crashes that took place in 2018. So far, Georgia saw a two percent drop in fatal car accidents last year.

Still, the law has not shown much improvement when it comes to pedestrian accidents, which are still increasing despite the hands-free law. While the law is clearly a step in the right direction, additional efforts are needed to make the roads safer for everyone involved.

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Source:https://www.wbtv.com/2019/10/30/sc-lawmakers-hear-testimony-proposed-hands-free-bill/ and https://www.ghsa.org/state-laws/issues/distracted%20driving and https://www.gahighwaysafety.org/research/