TRIP, a national transportation research group, revealed its rural roads study today. The study reports that South Carolina’s rural roads have the highest rate of fatalities in the nation. North Carolina ranks 8th in the report on rural road fatalities. Report available at: www.tripnet.org
“Leading the nation in rural traffic deaths is unacceptable,” said Tiffany Wright president of AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety. “We have to make our roads safer. We need better safety features geared towards keeping vehicles on the road. Updated guard rails, wider shoulders and rumble strips can help drivers correct themselves when they’ve veered off the road. These safety measures can help prevent some of the tiniest mistakes from turning into big mistakes, with deadly consequences.”
“When people hear the word “rural,” they often think of secondary roads, but most of the traffic is actually on rural primaries and Interstates. With a new funding stream provided by the state legislature in 2017, SCDOT has announced a new Rural Roads Safety Program. We applaud the legislature and the department for taking this long overdue step. We understand it will take time, but hopefully South Carolina is now on the right track to reduce traffic fatalities for all highway users.”
“North Carolinians who live and travel on rural roads deserve a transportation system that is safe, efficient and reliable. We know being ranked 8th in the country for rural road fatalities isn’t something to be proud of but, with the creation of the Strategic Transportation Investments Program back in in 2013, North Carolina has recently been investing more attention and funds than ever into fixing and repairing its roads and bridges. Hopefully, we will continue to see improvements which can make our roads safer for everyone.”
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