More than one in five drivers in Johns Island, S.C., has caused a car accident at some point in their driving career, making the coastal community the nation’s most dangerous for car accidents, a survey says.
Online auto insurance broker Insurify ranked the Top 20 Cities with the Most Car Accidents based on more than 2.5 million car insurance applications. It rated cities according to the number of local drivers who reported one or more car accidents on their record for which they were at fault.
The list reflects “the cities with the highest share of accident-prone drivers.” Insurify says that “the 20 cities with the highest proportion of accident-prone drivers were identified as the cities with the most accidents.”
These figures rely on the assumption that accidents on a driver’s record occurred in the city where the driver currently lives. Regardless, the statistics do indicate a high number of car accidents across South Carolina when compared to the rest of the country.
In addition to Johns Island, six more South Carolina cities made the top 20 list of most dangerous driving cities:
- 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%
Across all U.S. cities, 12.4% of drivers have an accident they caused on their record. Compared to the national average, the 20 cities with the most accidents, which include locales from Utah to New Hampshire, have a significantly higher percentage of accident-prone drivers.
In 2020, there were 1,025 people killed in motor vehicle accidents of all kinds in South Carolina, according to the S.C. Department of Public Safety’s (SCDPS) Traffic Fatalities Dashboard. There were 69 car accident fatalities in Charleston County, which includes Johns Island.
Causes of Car Accidents in South Carolina
In its most recent annual report about South Carolina automotive collisions, the SCDPS says a driver’s action or inaction was the primary cause of 82.35% of fatal accidents and 94.5% of nonfatal accidents. In all, 134,481 car accidents were attributed to some kind of driver error or negligence.
More collisions were blamed on “driving too fast for conditions” than any other factor. For decades, studies have indicated that excessive speed is a contributing factor in about one third of all traffic collisions.
Additional driver errors that contribute to motor vehicle accidents in South Carolina include:
- Failure to yield right of way
- Improper lane change
- Following too closely
- Distracted driving or inattention, including texting and talking on cell phone
- Disregarding traffic signs and traffic lights
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Improper turns
- Driving on the wrong side of the road
- Aggressive driving
- Drowsy driving or falling asleep at the wheel
- Other driver error, including oversteering/overcorrecting, running off the road, or swerving to avoid object.
Also:
- 4,263 crashes were attributed to environmental factors such as weather, glare, or animal in the road.
- 1,812 crashes were attributed to vehicle defect or failure such as tires, brakes, steering, cargo shift.
- 1,102 crashes were attributed to roadway problems such as work zones, debris, potholes, missing traffic signal.
- 748 crashes were attributed to pedestrian error such as pedestrians darting into the road.
Why Contact a SC Car Crash Attorney?
When someone causes a motor vehicle accident in Charleston County involving a car, motorcycle, truck, bicycle or pedestrian, they may be legally responsible for injuries they have caused others. An experienced lawyer can review the accident and determine who may be held liable.
If you were injured, you may have a right to seek compensation for your losses, such as for reimbursement of medical bill costs, lost income and property damage, as well as for your pain and suffering.
Compensation paid to car crash victims by the at-fault driver typically comes from auto insurance. South Carolina law is based on the comparative negligence standard. Each party involved in an accident is held liable for the share of blame they are assigned for the accident.
Insurance companies are for-profit businesses, so they try to pay as little as possible to resolve car accident claims. They may try to claim you contributed to the accident and are partly or primarily at fault to reduce the amount the insurer is obligated to pay.
You should contact a car accident attorney if you have suffered significant injuries in a crash that was caused by someone else. A S.C. car accident lawyer from Joye law Firm can help you understand your legal rights and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf if you have a claim.
An experienced car accident lawyer can stop you from being unfairly blamed for a car accident. At Joye Law Firm, we thoroughly investigate accidents to determine what happened and who is at fault. We consult with accident reconstruction specialists when necessary. We negotiate aggressively with insurance companies to settle most claims, but we are always ready to go to court with a solid case if that’s what it takes.
Contact a South Carolina Car Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a car accident in South Carolina that someone else caused, our S.C. car accident lawyers can help you seek fair and appropriate compensation for your losses. Joye Law Firm has offices in Charleston, Columbia, Clinton and Myrtle Beach, and we accept cases from across South Carolina. Contact us now at 877-941-1019 or online for a free, no-obligation discussion of your legal options.
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