COLUMBIA, S.C. - One of the least traveled counties in South Carolina had the most traffic collisions in 2002, a study by AAA Carolinas says.

Motorists were in the most danger of being in a fatal, injury or property-damage collision in Marlboro County, which has 29,000 residents and less than one percent of the vehicle miles traveled in the state.

The study showed Charleston County, one of the state's most popular tourist destinations, was the next county likely to have a collision. Other counties with high numbers of collisions were Marion, Chesterfield and Greenville.

"Most people think heavy volume roads, like interstates or those around major cities, would have the highest accident rates, but Marlboro, Marion and Chesterfield - all rural counties - show that, mile for mile, rural roads are among the most dangerous," said David Parsons, president and chief executive of AAA Carolinas.