Beaufort County has seen over 15,489 traffic accidents since 2020, despite ongoing efforts to build and repair its roads . So, what’s driving this surge in crashes?
South Carolina’s Department of Public Safety data — spanning from January 1, 2020 to June 16, 2024 — illustrates the main causes of traffic collisions. Topping the list is the failure to yield the right of way, a problem that often points directly to the county’s most problematic intersections .
Nearly 4,000 accidents during this period were caused by failure to yield right of way, with about half resulting in injury. Seventeen people died due to failure to yield, while 23 fatalities were attributed to driving under the influence. In total, 103 people were killed and 6,314 were injured.
Weather conditions did not appear to significantly impact traffic collisions, accidents or deaths, as of more than 80% of accidents occurred under clear skies. Similarly, the majority of injuries happened during daylight hours, with seven fatalities occurring equally in daylight and during darkness with no streetlights.
Below is a list of the Top 10 reasons for traffic collisions since 2020:
- Failed To Yield Right of Way: 3725
- Distracted/Inattention: 2422
- Driving Too Fast for Conditions: 2333
- Followed Too Closely: 1504
- Improper Lane Usage/Change: 1052
- Animal In Road: 848
- Disregarded Signs/Signals/Etc.: 736
- Driver Under Influence: 573
- Other Improper Driver Action: 351
- Made an Improper Turn: 249
Since 2020, failure to yield the right of way has consistently been the leading cause of traffic accidents, with distracted and inattentive driving ranking second over the past three years. Similarly, most traffic-related injuries are attributed to failure to yield, followed by driving too fast for conditions. The causes of fatalities from traffic accidents are more varied, with the top contributors since 2020 being failure to yield the right of way, driving under the influence and driving on the wrong side of the road.
Top 10 reasons for traffic collisions in 2024 through June 16
- Failed To Yield Right of Way: 440
- Distracted/Inattention: 310
- Driving Too Fast for Conditions: 205
- Followed Too Closely: 166
- Improper Lane Usage/Change: 123
- Animal In Road: 87
- Disregarded Signs/Signals/Etc: 85
- Driver Under Influence: 56
- Other Improper Driver Action: 49
- Unknown Driver Factor: 33
Top 10 reasons for traffic collisions in 2023
- Failed To Yield Right of Way: 909
- Distracted/Inattention: 570
- Driving Too Fast for Conditions: 558
- Followed Too Closely: 329
- Improper Lane Usage/Change: 293
- Animal In Road: 231
- Disregarded Signs/Signals/Etc.: 176
- Driver Under Influence: 140
- Other Improper Driver Action: 93
- Made an Improper Turn: 66
Top 10 reasons for traffic collisions in 2022
Failed To Yield Right of Way: 863
Distracted/Inattention: 616
Driving Too Fast for Conditions: 553
Followed Too Closely: 384
Improper Lane Usage/Change: 251
Animal In Road: 199
Disregarded Signs/Signals/Etc.: 181
Driver Under Influence: 147
Other Improper Driver Action: 99
Ran Off Road: 56
Top 10 reasons for traffic collisions in 2021
- Failed To Yield Right of Way: 853
- Driving Too Fast for Conditions: 558
- Distracted/Inattention: 513
- Followed Too Closely: 372
- Improper Lane Usage/Change: 222
- Animal In Road: 195
- Disregarded Signs/Signals/Etc.: 164
- Driver Under Influence: 120
- Ran Off Road: 74
- Other Improper Driver Action: 59
Top 10 reasons for traffic collisions in 2020
- Failed To Yield Right of Way: 660
- Aggressive Operation of Vehicle: 45
- Driver Under Influence: 110
- Disregarded Signs/Signals/Etc.: 130
- Lying &/Or Illegally In Roadway: 3
- Improper Lane Usage/Change: 163
- Improper Crossing: 5
- Driving Too Fast for Conditions: 459
- Medical Related: 25
- Unknown Vehicle Defect: 5
Tax controversy continues
As Beaufort County commissioners prepare to ask voters to approve a new 1% sales tax in November to fund traffic improvements, residents remain skeptical. The previous 1% sales tax, passed in 2018, aimed to address similar issues but has seen only 10% of the projects completed. While the new tax won’t take effect until the current one concludes, concerns persist, especially since the original projects were intended to reduce the rising number of traffic accidents and fatalities.
With only a few of the planned 34 projects completed or under construction, and as traffic-related injuries and deaths continue to climb, local law enforcement is left to manage the growing challenges. Despite the increasing traffic demands, most local agencies lack dedicated traffic enforcement teams , instead relying on a mix of strategies, from issuing citations to analyzing crash data to optimize their efforts.
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