Crash Leads to Injuries on Interstate 20 in Graniteville, South Carolina (SC)
GRANITEVILLE, SC- Thestate.com writes that an early morning crash caused closures in the eastbound traffic lanes of Interstate 20 this week. Drivers coming into the state from Georgia experienced delays. Officials in South Carolina state that injuries occurred in the collision but did not provide additional information about the cause of the crash, the number of vehicles involved, or the injuries.*
South Carolina has a poor record when it comes to car crash fatalities. One recent study stated that only Mississippi and Alabama have higher rates of fatalities per capita than does South Carolina. One area in which South Carolina has received criticism is in its handling of distracted driving-related crashes. The Palmetto State arrests a few drivers for distracted-driving related offenses. Without a handheld electronics ban, police cannot easily enforce the law against texting and driving. It is difficult to prove a driver was using his or her phone for a prohibited purpose rather than one that is not banned. The fine in the event that a driver is caught operating a car while texting in South Carolina is lower than that of many other states. Some believe that the $25 fine does little to deter motorists from looking at their phones while driving.
South Carolina also has a poor record when it comes to drunk driving crashes. Both South and North Carolina are among the nation's ten worst states in terms of drunk driving. This, too, likely adds to the state's inadequate road safety. One study reported that with 6.22 drunk driving-related fatalities per every 100,000 people in the state, South Carolina is the second-deadliest state for impaired driving collisions. The only state with the worst numbers in Wyoming, while New Jersey has the lowest rate in the country with 1.39 deaths for every 100,000 people in the state.
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Sources:
https://www.thestate.com/news/traffic/article246060885.html
https://www.wistv.com/story/38030136/sc-ranked-no-3-deadliest-state-for-fatal-car-crashes-study-says/
https://abcnews4.com/news/local/new-study-south-carolina-ranked-second-for-highest-rate-of-drunk-driving-in-the-nation
https://www.wect.com/2019/11/20/carolinas-fall-into-top-list-worst-states-drunk-driving/