Pedestrian Accidents Increased by 7.6% in the first Six Months of 2017

SOUTH CAROLINA – According to an online news report at charlestoncitypaper.com, the number of pedestrian accidents in South Carolina increased by 7.6%.*

In South Carolina, 71 pedestrians tragically died in the first half of 2017.  That represents an increase by 7.6% from the 66 pedestrians who perished in accidents in the first half of 2016, according to a report issued by the Governors Highway Safety Association.

22 individuals were fatally hit in the tri-county region back in 2017, per the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Charleston County leads the pack with thirteen fatalities.  This is followed by Beaufort with five and Dorchester with four.   In 2016, the amount of tri-county’s deadly pedestrian accidents was 22, but Charleston County only claimed eleven of these fatalities. 83% of South Carolina pedestrian-related accidents occurred when it was dark out.

In the City of Charleston, six pedestrians died in 2017 compared with two that occurred in 2016, per the Charleston Police Department.  Twelve pedestrians from Holy City sustained incapacitating injuries in 2017, down from fourteen in 2016.

The Governors Highway Safety Association indicates that South Carolina ranks as the third worst state in the country for pedestrian-related deaths per population.  This comes out to be 2.96 fatalities per 100,000 residents.  New Mexico had 3.45 deaths per 100,000 people, and Florida 3.22 deaths per 100,000 people.

One-third of pedestrian accidents across the nation back in 2016 occurred on local, municipal roadways.  75% of those pedestrian accidents occurred in the nighttime hours.  The total number of pedestrian fatalities increased to 27% from 2007 to 2016.  

Recently, Charleston expanded its pedestrian safety program by providing the public with safety brochures and placing posters in schools located in the city.

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.charlestoncitypaper.com/TheBattery/archives/2018/03/07/pedestrian-deaths-in-south-carolina-went-up-by-76-percent-in-the-first-six-months-of-2017