Aiken County and South Carolina see decrease in fatal traffic accidents in 2022

Dec. 11—As 2022 comes to a close, South Carolina is on pace to have fewer traffic fatalities than it did in 2021.

"Aiken and throughout the state is actually down in traffic fatalities," said Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell with S.C. Highway Patrol.

This year, South Carolina has reported 971 traffic fatalities as of Dec. 9, and there were 1,122 in 2021, according to the fatality dashboard from the S.C. Department of Public Safety.

There have been 28 traffic fatalities in Aiken County this year as of Dec. 9, and there were 36 in 2021, according to the dashboard.

During the pandemic in 2020, the state reported 1,016 traffic facilities and the pre-pandemic numbers in 2019 the state reported 954, according to the dashboard. Aiken County had 32 traffic fatalities in 2020 and 30 in 2019, according to the dashboard.

Even with fewer drivers on the road during the height of the pandemic, there was an increase in fatal accidents with most caused by distracted driving, driving under the influence, not wearing a seat belt, speeding and aggressive driving.

"What we saw in 2020 was different, and it was devastating," said Kenneth Kolosh, a statistics manager for the National Traffic Safety Council.

Kolosh said the agency tracks traffic fatalities on an ongoing basis through surveys from each state and sees the numbers slowly decreasing.

Kolosh said there was an increase in risky driving behaviors during 2020 like drinking and driving, speeding and people not wearing seat belts. He speculates more people were drinking more alcohol due to the stresses of the pandemic.

"None of that stops when we get behind the wheel," Kolosh said. "Our mental health and the stress we may be feeling, the anxiety ... that follows us into the vehicle."

In a 2022 report released by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration based on 2020 data, 38,824 people — including motorcyclists, drivers, occupants, passengers and pedestrians — were killed in traffic accidents.

AAA Carolina's director of public affairs, Tiffany Wright, said there was an increase of speeding and aggressive driving during the pandemic.

Wright said people should slow down and be patient and be tolerant of other drivers.

"Driving is one of the most dangerous things that a person can do every day," Tidwell said.

The S.C. counties with the most traffic fatalities are Greenville, Anderson, Berkeley, Charleston, Richland, Florence, Lexington and Spartanburg counties, Tidwell said, but didn't specify a time frame or year, but attributes the higher accident rate with higher population, with more people on the road.

Last week, two people were killed in two separate traffic accidents in Aiken County, Delmer "Del" Walton and Zaviaion Stewart.

In South Carolina, 342 people have died in traffic accidents this year while not wearing a seat belt, and Tidwell said a lot of lives could have been saved by wearing seat belts because they protect the driver from being ejected from the vehicle.

"For all the time that I have been here, about half of the fatal collisions that people are involved in are not wearing their seat belts," he said.

Tidwell said in addition to not wearing seat belts, distracted driving, drinking and driving, and speeding are other causes of wrecks.

Texting, using social media, putting on makeup, driver fatigue, reading a paper or eating are examples of distracted driving and can affect the time it takes a driver to stop.

Tidwell said if a person is driving 55 mph on the road and they take an average of 5 seconds to send a text to someone, by the time they look up, they would have traveled the length of a football field.

"They are not keeping their eyes on the road as they should," Tidwell said.

Tidwell said driving under the influence is another cause of accidents in the state, and the legal drinking limit in South Carolina is .08. Options like Uber, Lyft and calling a friend are available.

"It's 2022, and we have so many resources and technologies available to assist and prevent tragedies of drinking and driving from happening," Tidwell said.

Tidwell also said fatalities could involve motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists in a collision with a motor vehicle.

Tidwell said pedestrians should wear bright clothing and not walk directly in the street. He also said drivers to slow down if they see a pedestrian.

Before heading out on the roads this holiday season, Kolosh said drivers should make sure to follow the traffic rules, take breaks during long drives, and make sure a driver is prepared for the road.

Tidwell said traffic deaths can be prevented if people would just follow the rules of the road.

"It takes everyone as a whole to work together," Tidwell said.

For more information on traffic safety resources, visit National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at nhtsa.gov/ and the National Safety Council at nsc.org/road.