In a nation where traffic deaths top 44,000 annually, South Carolina maintains one of the worst records among the states. The state Department of Transportation reports that the state's traffic fatality rate is 42 percent higher than the national average, per vehicle mile traveled. So far this year, more than 1,000 fatalities have been recorded in South Carolina. Motor vehicle accidents are the primary cause of accidental death among children and teen-agers.

In a column on today's Commentary page, Peter J. Woolley cites the inadequate response of officeholders to the national tragedy. Some of the solutions he cites - better safety standards for vehicles - can only be imposed nationally.

Fortunately, there has been a growing recognition by South Carolina's leaders of the need to improve traffic safety. The value of comparatively modest solutions, such as graduated licenses for teen-age drivers and median separators on interstates, shouldn't be lost on policymakers who are looking for additional ideas.

In recent years, the Legislature has approved both measures. In addition, it has made the use of seat belts mandatory and has redefined drunken driving to the national standard. There is currently a move by some legislators to close loopholes in the DUI law.

Meanwhile, Gov. Mark Sanford has made increasing the number of highway patrolmen a priority. His budget for next year would add another 100 troopers, bringing the highway patrol to its highest number ever.

Speeding is involved in nearly 50 percent of traffic accidents in South Carolina, far more than the national average of 32 percent. That alone argues for more enforcement.

The governor's response on a dangerous portion of U.S. 17 in Beaufort and Colleton counties was an acknowledgement of the problem. As a stopgap to a long-delayed widening project, the governor directed greater enforcement of speed limits along the highway, and to good effect.

The financial difficulties faced in widening the two-lane portion of U.S. 17 underscore a problem on less traveled roads statewide. A lack of road maintenance funds has pushed the scheduled repair and resurfacing of secondary roads far behind schedule. The Legislature needs to attend to the budget problems of the DOT, its ongoing review of administrative and contractual woes notwithstanding.

To its credit, DOT has made low-cost traffic safety improvements, including highway reflectors and selectively widening roads with a three-foot paved shoulder, which has been shown to reduce accidents. Similarly, the unacceptable number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths in the Charleston metropolitan area should encourage the construction of more sidewalks and bike lanes.

The most significant safety improvement to existing roads has been the installation of cable medians on the interstates, funded by the Legislature in 2000. Federal officials estimate they have prevented 250 fatalities so far.

The Legislature has followed the lead of other states by requiring graduated licensing for teen-age drivers, designed to cut their high traffic fatality rate. Lawmakers could further improve traffic safety for teen-agers with more resources for drivers education, which must be offered in public high schools but isn't funded at a sufficient level to be readily available.

Post and Courier automotive columnist George Spaulding recently dedicated a number of columns to the nation's highway fatality rate, including reader recommendations for the use of automatic cameras to issue citations, tougher enforcement of speeding laws and banning cell phones while driving. One reader accurately described the fatality rate as "a national disgrace that we collectively continue to overlook."

As Dr. Woolley observes, strong public support will be required for the "forceful intervention and strict regulation" necessary to reduce the grim statistics that are tallied one tragedy at a time.