Just a couple of months after being named one of Money Magazine’s “Best Places to Live in the United States,” the City of Goose Creek, situated in Berkeley County, South Carolina, and the 17th fastest-growing county in the country last year according to the U.S. Census Bureau, has been called the home of the 10th highest number of car accidents in the nation.
The list of U.S. cities with the most car accidents in 2020 was compiled by Insurify, an online car insurance broker, from its database of more than 2.5 million car insurance applications. The premise of the list is that national statistics show that drivers have been driving more recklessly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to the rate of fatal crashes increasing between the first and second quarter of 2020. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety maintains a daily count of all South Carolina traffic fatalities. From January 1, 2020 to January 6, 2021 there were 1,028 traffic fatalities in South Carolina. (S.C. Dept. of Public Safety Daily Traffic Fatality Count, https://fatality-count-scdps.hub.arcgis.com/).
“Certain cities seem to be home to a greater share of accident-prone drivers,” Insurify says.
7 South Carolina Cities With ‘Bad’ Car Accident Records
According to Insurify, out of the top 20 cities in the United States with the most accidents, 7 are in South Carolina. The Insurify list is based on drivers who reported one or more car accidents on their record for which they were at fault. The company says the list depicts “the cities with the highest share of accident-prone drivers,” and “the 20 cities with the highest proportion of those drivers were identified as the cities with the most accidents.”
Insurify’s conclusion relies on the assumption that accidents on a driver’s record occurred in the city where the driver currently lives. Nonetheless, the statistics are noteworthy and indicative of a state-wide problem. Seven of the top South Carolina cities on the Insurify list of drivers with a prior at-fault accident are as follows:
- No. 1: Johns Island – Percentage of drivers with a prior at-fault accident: 21.6%
- No. 5: Rock Hill – Percentage of drivers with a prior at-fault accident: 18.70%
- No. 10: Goose Creek – Percentage of drivers with a prior at-fault accident: 18.14%
- No. 12: Charleston – Percentage of drivers with a prior at-fault accident: 18.06%
- No. 13: Greer – Percentage of drivers with a prior at-fault accident: 17.83%
- No. 16: Summerville – Percentage of drivers with a prior at-fault accident: 17.50%
- No. 18: Spartanburg – Percentage of drivers with a prior at-fault accident: 17.42%
The Berkeley Observer says, “A whopping seven out of the 20 cities with the most accidents are located in South Carolina. Goose Creek ranked No. 10 on the list, the study found.” The City of Charleston came in 12th.
Across all U.S. cities, 12.40% of motorists have an at-fault accident on their record, Insurify says.
Compared to the national average, the 20 cities with the most accidents have at least 40 percent more accident-prone drivers than the national average.
The list also cites a percentage for each city that it says depicts “relative driving levels for each city, compared to January 2020 … gathered from Apple Maps’ Covid Mobility Data as of November 13, 2020.” Insurify says that the more vehicle miles traveled, the more likely a driver is to be involved in an accident.
But Apple says its reports “reflect requests for directions in Apple Maps,” not that all the requests are specifically made for driving. Insurify says its numbers depict an increase in driving which, for example, is +36% for No. 1 St. Johns, +17% for No. 10 Goose Creek and +24% for No. 18 Spartanburg. Seeking directions from a mapping app does not necessarily equal driving.
Consider the other list we mentioned that features Goose Creek. Money magazine’s rankings of the best places to live for 2020 were derived from 115 separate types of data in nine categories, such as the economy, housing market, cost of living, diversity and public education.
“Our team of reporters then researched every location to ensure that the statistics were a true representation of each place, and that other negative factors weren’t at play,” Money’s editors explain.
About Goose Creek, No. 23 on Money’s list, the magazine says, “Life in Goose Creek is pretty sweet” and cites its “lovely verandas and tree-lined streets (that) help it keep a small-town feel.”
“Meanwhile, Berkeley County’s economy is growing at a steady clip, thanks to industry giants like Google, Volvo Cars North America and DuPont building outposts in the area,” the profile says.
Car Crash Attorneys in Goose Creek, SC
Money magazine more accurately describes the town we know as Goose Creek, S.C. That is not to say that there aren’t negligent and reckless drivers in Goose Creek who cause car accidents and injuries.
South Carolina sees more than 800 deaths in car accidents every year on average and thousands more injuries. Goose Creek and Berkeley County have their share of accidents. At Joye Law Firm, each car accident case we assist a client with is a singular event that affects that client and his or her family. Our goal with each client we serve is to achieve results from a car accident claim that meet the client’s specific needs.
If you have been seriously injured in a car accident in Goose Creek, or throughout South Carolina, Joye Law Firm may be able to help you pursue just compensation to rebuild your life. We can help make sure you get the medical care you need and we can deal with the insurance company on your behalf. We can help get your car repaired and line up a rental vehicle while your car is in the shop.
We know insurance and personal injury law in South Carolina, and we are here to advocate for your rights and interests after you have been unjustly injured. We’ve been helping injured people in communities across South Carolina for more than 50 years.
If you have been injured in a car accident in Goose Creek, Johns Island, Charleston or Summerville because someone else acted negligently, contact an experienced South Carolina car accident lawyer at Joye Law Firm. We offer a free consultation to discuss your case, and if we pursue a claim for you, you will only pay for our services if we recover compensation for you. Contact us now at (877) 941-2615 or online.
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