It seems that every day the news is filled with reports of tragic events, wars and other catastrophes. Another crisis gets little attention in the media, but it results in the death of an average of three people in South Carolina per day, or more than 1,000 per year.

This tragedy of major proportions is being played out on South Carolina highways.

This state has one of the highest highway fatality rates in the country. It is a condition our citizens are forced to endure because the S.C. Department of Transportation simply does not have the funding needed to improve the safety of our highways.

Our Transportation Department maintains the fourth-largest state highway system in the nation, but we are last in terms of funding for these roads. Even if South Carolina doubled its level of funding per mile of highway, we would only move one spot from our last-place standing. That is how far behind we are, and this is one reason for our high fatality rate on our streets and highways.

Increasing funding for our state highways will undoubtedly save lives. We simply are not sufficiently investing in our infrastructure and, to a large extent, are ignoring the safety of our citizens.

The primary source of revenue to fund maintenance and improvement of our highway system is a motor fuel user fee that has not been increased since 1987. What business could possibly survive using a 17-year-old rate structure?

There is support for increased funding. Numerous organizations, including the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, have taken public positions supporting increased highway funding. Gov. Mark Sanford’s Commission on Management, Accountability and Performance found that funding for road maintenance and new construction needs to be increased. Voter surveys show that citizens will agree to fee increases for highways if the revenue is allocated strictly for highway use, and not diverted to other purposes.

We desperately need to resurface our secondary highways. The Transportation Department has not been able to resurface roads in this system in four years. We also need a major program to improve the safety of our roads. And the state needs to build Interstate 73 to the Grand Strand area to ensure the economic viability of our tourism industry.

The highway-funding crisis in South Carolina will not fix itself. It is a condition that demands courage and good leadership. The South Carolina Transportation Policy and Research Council is dedicated to ensuring that the state has a safe and efficient highway transportation network. A well-maintained system is vital to the safety and economic prosperity of South Carolina.

Our organization believes that the first step to improving our road system is to increase the motor fuel user fee. We have waited long enough, and too many lives hang in the balance for us to delay any longer. It is an important step that we as responsible citizens must be willing to take.

Mr. Zuelsdorf is president of the South Carolina Transportation Policy and Research Council and president, CEO and chairman of the board of Wilbur Smith Associates.