SOUTH CAROLINA 

Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths: Costly But Preventable 

Motor vehicle crashes and their resulting injuries 

are preventable; state-level changes are especially 

effective for prevention. 

TAKING ACTION CAN SAVE LIVES 

In 2018, more than 1,000 people in South Carolina were 

killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. South Carolina 

can consider the following proven strategies, and the 

enforcement of related policies, to save lives and money: 

• Child passenger safety laws that require proper car seat and

booster seat use until at least age 9

• Ignition interlock devices required for all (including first-time)

offenders convicted of alcohol-impaired driving

• A graduated driver licensing (GDL) system that includes:

◦	 A minimum age of 16 for obtaining a learner’s permit

◦	 A mandatory learner’s permit holding period of 12 months

◦	 A minimum age of 18 for lifting both nighttime driving

and young passenger restrictions

$12 Million MEDICAL COSTS + $1.55 Billion WORK LOSS COSTS

$1.56 Billion
 total cost of traffic crash deaths 

in South Carolina in 2018.
 

COST OF TRAFFIC DEATHS BY TYPE OF ROAD USER

SOUTH CAROLINA
 

 

Source: CDC WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System), 2018 

*Cost is based on fewer than 20 deaths and may be unstable. 

COST OF TRAFFIC DEATHS BY AGE GROUP 

SOUTH CAROLINA 

 

Children: 0–14, Teens: 15–19, Young Adults: 20–34, Adults: 35–64, Older Adults: 65+ 

Source: CDC WISQARS, 2018 

Working together, we can help keep people safe on the road—every day. 

www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/statecosts 
 

 

 

HOW DOES YOUR STATE COMPARE? 

STATES IN YOUR REGION 

The cost figures presented in the fact sheets are based on information collected by each individual state. There may be differences between 

states’ methods of collection and categorization of these data. 

PREVENTION SAVES MONEY 

The best way to reduce motor vehicle crash costs is to The next best way to reduce costs is to prevent injuries 

prevent crashes. Some effective strategies for preventing when crashes occur. Proven ways to prevent injuries during 

crashes include: a crash include: 

• automated red-light and speed-camera enforcement • high-visibility enforcement of seat belt and child 

• comprehensive graduated driver licensing systems restraint laws 

• publicized sobriety checkpoints • primary seat belt laws for all seating positions 

• mandatory ignition interlocks for all (including • laws that require car seat or booster seat use for 

first-time) offenders convicted of children until at least age 9 

alcohol-impaired driving • distribution plus education programs for car seats 

and booster seats 

• bicycle helmet laws for children 

For more information about these and other effective programs, visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety. 

Total population in 2018 Traffic crash death costs in 2018 

Mississippi 3.0M $1.00B 

Kentucky 4.5M $1.06B 

Alabama 4.9M $1.53B 

Tennessee 6.8M $1.54B 

South Carolina 5.1M $1.56B 

Georgia 10.5M $2.10B 

North Carolina 10.4M $2.26B 

Florida 21.3M $4.40B 

CDC’S COST ESTIMATE TOOLS 

CDC’s interactive calculator, MV PICCS (Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator 

for States), was designed to help decision makers prioritize and select from a suite of 14 effective 

motor vehicle injury prevention interventions. At the state level, MV PICCS calculates the expected 

number and monetized value of injuries prevented and lives saved and the costs of implementation, 

while taking into account available resources. Visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/calculator. 

CDC’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) is an online, interactive 

system that provides reports of injury-related data. To find the costs of various injury deaths and 

nonfatal injuries, visit www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars. 

July 2020