South Carolina has a drunk driving problem — among the worst in the nation, study says
Close to 30 percent of all fatal car crashes in South Carolina last year were related to drunk driving, according to federal statistics.
That data, coupled with the number of DUI arrests and amount of people who admit to driving after they’ve had a few, puts the Palmetto state among the worst in the nation for drunk driving, a new report found.
South Carolina ranks fifth in the country behind Wyoming, the Dakotas and — at the top of the list — Montana, according to a study released by the car insurance quote comparison site The Zebra.
Citing data by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, The Zebra found 291 people in South Carolina died in drunk driving crashes in 2018.
“South Carolina followed Montana and Wyoming in fatalities per 100,000 people with a death rate of 5.72,” The Zebra states. “Despite its lower numbers of arrests and drunk driving prevalence, the deadly rate of drunk driving fatalities earns South Carolina a spot high on the list.”
North Carolina — where 421 people died in drunk driving crashes last year — ranked 15th overall with a death rate of 4.05, according to the raw data provided to McClatchy News.
DUIs and drinking prevalence were lower in both states.
South Carolina had 15,446 DUI arrests in 2017 — roughly half of North Carolina’s 30,277. Though the Tar Heel state has nearly double the population, South Carolina had a higher rate of arrests per 100,000 people.
Only 1.6 percent of the population in South Carolina reported having driven drunk in 2014, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. It was only 1.2 percent in North Carolina.
The highest percentage of people who disclosed driving drunk that year came from North Dakota, where 3.4 percent said they got behind the wheel intoxicated.
The Zebra found North Dakota has “slightly better drunk driving laws” than South Dakota, which joins Montana in its lax laws, high level of drunk driving deaths and equally high number of DUIs.
“The three states with the most prevalent drunk driving issues (Montana, South Dakota, and North Dakota) also appeared in the top 10 for alcohol consumption,” the report states.
Utah — a state with very little drunk driving problems — also had the lowest level of consumption per capita.
