Alcohol, Drugs Contribute to Large Number of Fatal Vehicle Accidents in South Carolina

A recent study indicates that drugs and alcohol contribute to a large number of fatal vehicle accidents in South Carolina. The study, conducted by alcohol.org, shows that South Carolina has one of the highest fatal drunk driving crash rates in the United States.

The report from alcohol.org, which analyzed data gathered between 2007 and 2016 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), also shows that drug-related and alcohol-related vehicle crashes are increasing in South Carolina and are contributing to half of all traffic fatalities in the state. The majority of fatal drug-related crashes in the state involve cocaine, according to the report. Only Florida and Illinois joined South Carolina in seeing cocaine as the leading drug involved in deadly traffic crashes. 

On a national level, between 2007 and 2016, fatal vehicle accidents involving cocaine declined. The alcohol.org study indicates that cocaine-related vehicle deaths in the U.S. fell by 34 percent during these years. 

Aside from cocaine, the study found that oxycodone, fentanyl, and methamphetamines contribute to a large number of fatal traffic accidents in South Carolina. Instances of oxycodone-related vehicle crashes rose by 300 percent from 2007 to 2016, while fentanyl-related crashes increased by 304 percent, and crashes involving methamphetamines rose 1,300 percent. Most of these accidents happened during overnight hours on weekends, with 3 a.m. on Sundays seeing the highest number of deadly wrecks. 

Based on the NHTSA data for 2016, South Carolina also has the second-highest rate of deadly alcohol-related vehicle crashes in the country. The state is behind only Montana in the U.S. for drunk driving deaths. In 2016, the rate of drunk driving fatalities in South Carolina was 6.59 per every 100,000 residents. Potential reasons for the increases in drug and alcohol related traffic fatalities in the state were not provided in the report. 

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Sources:https://www.alcohol.org/ and http://www.thestate.com/news/state/south-carolina/article209659234.html