The Sneaky Danger You Face While Road Tripping In South Carolina

When you're all packed up and ready to hit the road on a South Carolina road trip, you understandably can't wait to see the famous Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, partake in some local fare, and feel the soft East Coast sand squish between your toes. While you may have followed all the clever packing hacks for a long road trip, there's an unspoken safety issue that comes with driving through South Carolina that you may not have considered.

Whether you're cruising to Myrtle Beach or traveling to see one of the world's most charming main streets in Charleston, something troubling is brewing within the Palmetto State. According to a report from WalletHub, South Carolina has some of the most dangerous roadways in the United States. In fact, the state has the most fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel in the country.

MoneyGeek's study on night driving expanded on this research using data from the Bureau of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), reporting that South Carolina's roadways are 9.7 times more dangerous at night. Road safety is always a concern when embarking on a road trip, but you'll want to increase your precautions for your excursion through South Carolina and be mindful of the biggest issues posed on the roads.

Across the U.S., the NHTSA reports that drivers are the biggest contributors to traffic accidents, causing around 94% of car crashes (via LawInfo). And South Carolina is one of the worst states to drive in. According to data compiled from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the Palmetto State had 20.7 roadway fatalities per 100,000 people in 2022, the fifth-highest in the nation (via the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute). A significant portion of the problem is impaired drivers, as the same data showed that 557 driver deaths were alcohol-related.

Maybe the most alarming cause for concern on your road trip is the prevalence of fatal crashes on state highways. In MoneyGeek's report, more than 57% of total vehicular fatalities (1,731 in total from 2019 to 2021) occurred on state highways. The state with the highest was Alaska, but it had such a small sample size (69 fatal state highway crashes) that South Carolina's is perceptively worse. 

While driving in South Carolina, combatting the potential dangers of its roadways will require you to be extra vigilant. Minimize distractions, especially anything to do with your mobile device. In fact, the state statute (SC Code Section 56-5-3890) prohibits the use of a "wireless electronic communication device to compose, send, or read" text messages, per the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. If you have a passenger, have them control the radio and directions so you can keep your eyes and focus on the road.

Don't be afraid to take breaks. Driving can be exhausting on the body and mind, and stretching can be refreshing. Stop and get out of the car at least every two hours (or even more frequently if you feel your body needs it). Factor these stops into your itinerary so you don't fall behind schedule. It's also important to be well-rested, which means you should get enough sleep for two nights in a row before hitting the road. When taking a break, be sure to do so at designated truck stops — you may be tempted to use the parking lot sleeping hack on a road trip, but this puts your safety at risk.

The goal is to get to your destination safely. Unfortunately, South Carolina's highways can make that a more taxing task than you probably expected. When you consider the potential hazards and the state's fatal accident rates, it becomes clear that you have to be more mindful of the dangers.