These are the most dangerous intersections in Lexington County
The five most dangerous intersections in Lexington County were found near an interstate that runs through the county and another that borders it, according to data reported by the state Department of Public Safety.
More than 8,000 traffic collisions were reported in Lexington County in 2023, according to the latest available report by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. A report for 2024 will be released early next year. Forty-six crashes were fatal and 1,822 resulted in injuries. Crashes leaving only property damage totaled a little more than 6,000.
Lexington County suffered a loss of $257 million from traffic accidents in 2023, according to the report.
In car accidents, economic loss for a county refers to the money spent as a result of a collision, including expenses for emergency services, medical care and property damage, among a few others.
Three of the five most dangerous intersections are located in a notoriously accident prone area known as Malfunction Junction — an interchange where I-20, I-26 and I-126 meet. In 2021, the South Carolina Department of Transportation embarked on a $1.7 billion project dubbed “Carolina Crossroads,” which includes widening portions of I-26, adding several ramps and getting rid of the interchange for Bush River Road off I-26.
So far, the project has eliminated the off and on ramps on I-26 at Bush River Road, replacing them with new entry and exit ramps at Colonial Life Boulevard, which affords access to Bush River Road. Additionally, motorists traveling from Broad River Road are now using the new Colonial Life Boulevard ramps to access and exit I-26.
The most dangerous intersections in the county in 2023 were:
- I-26 at Saint Andrews Road with 171 collisions, including 25 resulting in injuries and 193 ending with property damage only, according to the report.
- Next came I-26 at Piney Grove Road, where 161 collisions were reported. Of those, 23 resulted in serious injuries and 175 involved property damage.
- In third place was I-20 at I-26, which saw 145 accidents, including 18 with injuries and 147 that left only property damage.
- The intersection at I-26 at Charleston Highway ranked fourth. There, a total of 133 traffic collisions were reported and included 19 with injuries and 114 that solely resulted in property damage.
- In fifth, 125 accidents were reported at I-26 at Sunset Boulevard, where 26 involved injuries and 99 resulted exclusively in property damage.
Contributing factors
The Department of Public Safety highlighted the top five contributing factors to motor vehicle accidents in Lexington County in 2023.
In ranking order, they included:
Driving too fast for conditions resulted in 14 fatal collisions, 32 with serious injuries, 555 with injuries and 1,994 with property damage.
Master Trooper William Bennett of the South Carolina Highway Patrol said speeding accounts for nearly half of the 1,000, on average, fatal collisions in the state each year.
“There’s a reason why the term ‘speed kills’ exists,” Bennett said. “That’s why we (as troopers) make such a big deal about people excessively speeding over the speed limit, because we know it’s a factor in collisions and especially in fatal collisions.”
In addition, Bennett said using seat belts can go a long way to save lives during a crash, noting that half of all fatal collisions involve someone not wearing a seat belt.
Failure to yield right of way caused 5 fatal crashes, 13 involved serious injuries, 535 involved other injuries and 1,368 resulted in property damage only.
Running off the road resulted in 21 fatal crashes, 21 with serious injuries, 278 with other injuries and 596 leaving only property damage.
Improper lane change or usage spawned two fatal collisions, four included serious injuries, 95 involved other injuries and 803 resulted solely in property damage.
Distracted driving caused two fatal collisions, six resulting in serious injuries, 119 included other injuries and 473 claimed only property damage.
Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of traffic accidents and typically involves cellphone usage, Bennett said
Using your cellphone while driving is “the most dangerous distraction because it diverts your attention in three different ways,” he said. “First, it requires you to pick it up, which is a physical distraction. Second, you have to look at it, which is a visual distraction. And third, it distracts you mentally because you have to think about what you’re doing on the phone.”
By simply focusing entirely on the road while driving greatly reduces the chances of an accident, Bennett said.
“Looking at this (South Carolina Department of Public Safety) report gets back to being aware of our speed, limiting distractions, wearing a seatbelt and not getting behind the wheel impaired.”
