Out there on the highway, be careful, Columbia and surrounding Richland County is home to some of the most hectic traffic in the state and the nation. Although the national and state average for auto accidents has steadily declined for two decades, South Carolina was recently noted as the state with the second-worst drivers in America, according to a report that used official driving statistics compiled by carinsurancecomparison(dot)com.
South Carolina consistently ranks in the top three states for traffic accidents per mile driven, and a large percentage of those accidents occur in the Midlands area. The percentage of accidents in Orangeburg, Aiken and Richland Counties has risen over the past year, making the Columbia one of the most dangerous metropolitan areas in the Southeast. Taking into account the inflow of traffic from I-77 that connects I-26 to I-85 and I-40, along with nearby I-95, traffic congestion and speeding citations should come as little of a surprise. Traffic accidents caused by heavy traffic, high speeds and negligent drivers can be fatal. As of New Year’s Eve, Richland County had 60 traffic deaths, up from 51 in 2012. Our county was only second to Greenville County, which had 68 fatalities this past year.
Over the past twenty years, Columbia has been above the statewide average for pedestrian deaths over 50% of the time. This reached a tipping point in 2012, when four pedestrians were killed within a two-month period, one of them a man in a wheelchair who was struck by a commercial trucker. To crack down on this, Columbia police have begun to enforce jaywalking at the busy Five Points intersection in downtown, and have radar guns posted to detect speeding drivers. This past New Year’s Eve, seven people were booked at the Alvin Glenn Detention Center for illegal crossing in hopes of sending a clear message to those who arbitrarily cross over the street without abiding to crosswalks.
Pedestrians & Motorists Should Hire A Personal Injury Lawyer
If you have been injured in an auto accident, whether you were in a car or on foot, you should seek the help of a professional personal injury lawyer in Columbia. Personal injury lawyers can help you to reconstruct the scene of the accident, contact eyewitnesses to support your case and battle the insurance company as it tries to delay or deny your claim. If you have suffered a personal injury in Columbia, let the attorneys at Solomon Law Group help.
