Add another unwanted distinction to South Carolina's
list. The state now has the highest rate of speeding-related traffic
fatalities in the nation.
A report issued recently by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and the U.S. Transportation Department found that, over
the past 20 years, a higher percentage of people died as a result of
excess speed in South Carolina than in any other state. At least one
person was speeding in nearly half of all fatal accidents in South
Carolina from 1983 to 2002, according to the report.
Of the 1,053 driving fatalities in the state in 2002, nearly 500 were
considered speed related. While some states had higher proportions of
speed-related deaths in some years, South Carolina led the nation over
the period analyzed in the report.
The solution is simple: Slow down. But convincing drivers to drive at
reasonable speeds may be easier said than done. And while a campaign to
educate the public about the dangers of speeding might compel some
drivers to let off of the gas pedal, others will need a stronger
deterrent.
And the answer to that is equally obvious: Hire more state troopers
to patrol the highways and ticket speeders. But while that may appear to
be a sensible solution, the state seems resistant to it.
Granted, the General Assembly added money to the budget this session
for 100 new troopers. But that fails to fully make up for the deficit in
troopers that occurred over the past four years. In 2000, the state had
1,006 troopers in the S.C. Highway Patrol. By the end of 2004, the state
had only 785 troopers, a loss of 221 seasoned officers.
Budget cuts and early retirement were the primary cause of the
reduction of the force, but other factors contributed to the erosion in
the number of troopers. For example, between 2000 and 2004, salaries for
troopers did not keep pace with those of other police agencies, adding
to turnover. During that time, the state also failed to upgrade and
increase the Highway Patrol's fleet on a regular basis. As the number of
vehicles on the state's highways increased, the number of patrol cars
decreased.
South Carolina traditionally has lagged behind neighboring states in
the size of its trooper force. And we pay a price in carnage on the
highways.
Some people will continue to drive at unsafe speeds regardless of how
many troopers are patrolling the highways. But increasing the number of
troopers and their visibility would be an effective deterrent for many
speeders.
The state finally passed an enforceable seat belt law this session,
which might help increase the survival rate of those involved in
accidents. Now the state should continue hiring more troopers to help
enforce speed limits and prevent some of those accidents from occurring
in the first place.
