South Carolina Traffic Collision Fact Book, 2008

NHTSA · 2009 · ROSA P / South Carolina. Dept. of Public Safety

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Summary

The South Carolina Traffic Collision Fact Book 2008, published by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, provides a comprehensive statistical analysis of motor vehicle collisions in the state for the year 2008. The report aims to characterize the causes, consequences, and patterns of traffic crashes to inform safety strategies and reduce future collisions. The data is derived from Uniform Traffic Collision Report Forms (TR-310) submitted by investigating officers, covering collisions resulting in injury, death, or at least $1,000 in property damage on public highways. In 2008, South Carolina recorded 107,252 total traffic collisions, resulting in 921 fatalities and 46,925 injuries. These figures represent significant decreases from 2007, with fatalities dropping by 14.5% and injuries by 4.7%. The mileage death rate (MDR) fell to an all-time low of 1.88 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles of travel, compared to the national average of 1.3. The estimated economic loss from these collisions was $2.71 billion, a slight decrease from the previous year. The report identifies driver error as the primary contributing factor in 93.2% of all collisions and 87.5% of fatal collisions. In fatal crashes, driving under the influence (DUI) was the leading cause, accounting for 40.8% of cases, followed by driving too fast for conditions (13.8%). Environmental factors, primarily animals in the roadway, accounted for 3.5% of all collisions. Regarding collision dynamics, 77.2% of all crashes involved a collision with an object not fixed, most commonly another motor vehicle. However, fatal collisions were more likely to involve fixed objects, such as trees, which accounted for 17.4% of fatal crashes. Demographic and temporal patterns reveal that male drivers aged 20–24 were disproportionately represented in fatal collisions, comprising 10.7% of fatal crash drivers despite being only 4.1% of licensed drivers. More than 70% of drivers in fatal crashes were male. Temporally, 64% of fatal collisions occurred between 3:01 p.m. and 3:00 a.m., with weekends seeing higher fatality rates than weekdays. Spatially, state secondary routes accounted for 40% of fatal collisions. The report concludes that while overall crash rates and fatalities declined in 2008, driver behavior remains the dominant factor in collision causation, highlighting the need for continued focus on DUI enforcement and speed management.

Key finding

Traffic fatalities in South Carolina decreased by 14.5% to 921 in 2008, with driving under the influence responsible for 40.8% of fatal collisions.

Methodology

dataset

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Topics

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• incidence prevalence
• demographic disparities

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes