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South Carolina Fights To Reduce Traffic Death in Fast-Growing Counties

Members of Lexington County Public Safety and EMS. From left to right: Michael Collado, Micah Norman, David Kerr, and Rollie Reynolds.
Clayton Sears/SC Public Radio

South Carolina, like many states, draws attention to its rising annual traffic fatalities with sobering light-up signs on the interstate, reminding commuters to be conscientious on the road. Roadway fatalities are an issue in any state, and are certainly a topic of concern in South Carolina. As of 2016, South Carolina led the nation in traffic fatalities with 1.88 per 100 million miles travelled. The state also had the third most traffic fatalities per 100,000 people with 20.5, only behind Mississippi and Alabama, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute.

The number of traffic fatalities for 2018 recently passed 500. Lieutenant Bob Beres, Public Information Officer for S.C. Highway Patrol, says that number is down from where it was in summer 2017, which closed with 988 total fatalities.

"Obviously, even one death is too many," Beres acknowledged.

But Rome wasn't built in a day. For now, the state's focus is on reducing traffic fatalities with projects like SC Target Zero, which features goals for improving accidents caused by various issues, from speeding to unsafe roadway departure. The S.C. Department of Transportation also works to renew safety features when working road construction projects.

"In general, safety features are included, as part of our policies and procedures, in all SCDOT projects," SCDOT representative Emily Thomas commented via email. "The expectation is that any project implemented will lead to fewer traffic collisions. For example, a resurfacing project may include the addition of rumble stripes – a safety feature designed to prevent vehicles from departing the roadway by alerting the driver when they drift outside the travel lane."

A view of SCDOT's road projects planned in Lexington County.
Credit SCDOT
A view of SCDOT's road projects planned in Lexington County.

Solutions to mitigate traffic danger are especially in focus for growing counties in metropolitan areas like Lexington County, where traffic fatalities have risen along with the population. Lexington County Public Safety Director David Kerr says the high number of traffic fatalities in his county – SCDOT currently lists 44 fatalities in Lexington County for 2018, compared to 47 total in 2017 – doesn't necessarily correlate to a higher number of accidents.

"What I have seen this year is that the accidents we are responding to are more severe. We see a lot of rollovers," he says.

In the opinion of Rollie Reynolds, a captain with the Lexington County Fire Department, it's not surprising that the county has seen more traffic fatalities during the past few years of growth.

"With the population boom in Lexington County, we're seeing a lot of congested roadways, and a lot of people just don't know how to handle that."

It is really important that people think about the other people on the roadway not just as other vehicles . . . those are families and lives.

In addition to rollover accidents and congestion, road fatalities are often the result of texting, or drivers being under the influence of alcohol. Micah Norman, an EMT with Lexington County, says these are the accidents that hit him the hardest, because they are so preventable.

"Using the cell phone or being under the influence of alcohol, these are things that you have control over before you get behind the wheel," said Norman.

State Trooper Bob Beres with S.C. Highway Patrol says that he's handed out thousands of tickets this year while trying keep negligent driving in check, but that responsibility on the road lies primarily in the hands of those behind the wheel.

"We're not telling you not to have a good time. Have a good time, but if you're going to drink, use a designated driver or a ridesharing company. There's plenty of other alternatives than getting behind the wheel."

Traffic fatalities are an issue close to the hearts of Lexington County public safety personnel, especially since losing one of their own EMT workers to a driving accident. In 2017, Private First Class Carmen Nunez, a 10-year EMS veteran, was killed when a car drifted into her lane while she was on her way home from a shift. Lexington County Department of Public Safety representative Harrison Cahill says that day is fresh in the minds of everyone who works in Public Safety in Lexington County.

"This organization and everyone that works in it is a family. We lost a member of our family that day, so it is really important that people think about the other people on the roadway not just as other vehicles . . .  those are families and lives."

Bringing Calmness to Chaos

David Kerr is well aware that responding to accidents can place fire and rescue workers in unexpected and dangerous situations. Part of the job is being able to react and adapt.

"They go into these situations, and they have to be dynamic thinkers," says Kerr.

Fire Captain Michael Collado says he doesn't think there is such thing as an average day on the job.

"Things can change by the second," he says.

Rollie Reynolds agrees, and recalls a recent incident where his team's ability to think quickly was put to the test.

"We were toned to a vehicle fire on I-20, at the 62 mile marker, and as we're pulling out, we look to the left and see a column of black smoke coming up."

While they were called to assist with a vehicle fire, they found that they weren't dealing with a typical fire situation when they arrived on the scene.

"A semi came through and hit multiple vehicles, and we had another vehicle that had a person trapped in it, so we had to use the extrication tools to cut them out of the vehicle."

The accident resulted in six injuries and one fatality, and Reynolds says the severity of the accident caught his team by surprise.

"Normally vehicle fires happen when a car overheats, and we can knock those out pretty quickly, but that day we rolled up and we had a 10 car pile-up on I-20, and we weren't mentally prepared for that." Despite their initial shock, Reynolds says that EMT crews were already on the scene and everyone involved in the operation that day "didn't skip a beat."

Reynolds and Collado say that in addition to thinking on their toes, the long hours of the job presents another challenge for fire crews.

"We work 24/48: 24 hours on and 48 hours off. So it's not unusual to go a whole day without sleeping," says Reynolds.

When the rescue workers in Lexington County responding to accidents, they also take time to meet with the people they serve to educate them about fire prevention, often speaking with churches, homeowners associations and schools. That's one way the county participates in SCDOT's attempts to reduce fatalities statewide; as Emily Thomas commented, "Through partnerships with other safety stakeholders, a multidisciplinary approach incorporating law enforcement and driver education can be utilized to target various crash types seen in Lexington County and across the state."

While Kerr says current staff are well-prepared for the job and the wide-ranging duties that come with it, he also says that Lexington County is always in need of new fire and rescue hires as the population continues to grow.

"The growth of this county isn't going to stop," says Kerr, "and if we don't continue to hire we're going to wake up one day and be 20 years behind."