By: Ledger Wham, Contributing Writer
ledgerwham@gmail.com
South Carolina had the fourth-highest per-capita motor-vehicle crash death rate in the country in 2024. According to an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety analysis of federal data, the state recorded 18.9 crash deaths per 100,000 residents.
Spartanburg is one of the worst counties in South Carolina for traffic collisions and fatalities.
Just last week, a wrong-way crash on I-85 claimed two lives, and a motorcycle crash that happened in Wellford, left one person dead. Spartanburg County ranked fifth in both total traffic collisions and fatal traffic collisions. According to the South Carolina Traffic Collision Fact Book, Spartanburg County had 10,689 traffic collisions, 55 fatal collisions, and 82 total pedestrian victims: eight fatalities and 74 injuries in 2024.
Spartanburg residents have expressed concerns about the continued rise in car crashes and fatalities. Issues include pedestrian fatalities, uninsured drivers, speeding, tailgating, cell phone use, poor infrastructure, and reckless driving. Many are going online and pleading within their communities for people to drive slower and safer.
One resident, Laura B., knew a 75-year-old woman who was fatally struck by a car while walking to church earlier this year. Laura said residents have been demanding change for years but only started to see improvements in pedestrian safety after this accident.
Many residents blame speeding for traffic injuries and fatalities. Some have expressed support for traffic cameras, more speed bumps, and an increased law enforcement presence in the county. Controversy over Flock cameras and the police force has made it difficult to find a solution that pleases every resident.
Other residents do not believe speeding is the problem, but rather reckless driving. A professional driver in the area, Jason W., believes it is drivers weaving between cars and making erratic maneuvers that are causing the problems. He also said he believes Spartanburg is not doing anything about the problem and that he rarely sees law enforcement on the road.
Many residents feel as though the government is not doing enough to address the issue. However, Spartanburg County’s 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report shows that public safety was the county’s largest expense category at approximately $94.6 million. Health and welfare expenses totaled $68.1 million, while roads and bridges totaled $64.9 million. The report does not specify how much of the public-safety spending went directly toward traffic enforcement or roadway safety.
Other residents believe the transportation system and infrastructure are the real issues. Daniel C., a member of Strong Towns Spartanburg, stated that Spartanburg County has designed “many of our major roads around moving cars quickly and reducing congestion. Safety often comes second.”
He believes that “things like road diets, narrower lanes, safer intersection design, connected street networks, protected pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure, and traffic calming, not simply more enforcement or telling people to drive better” are the real solutions to Spartanburg’s traffic fatality crisis that the county should be implementing with its funding.
Author: Ledger Wham
Junior at Converse University in South Carolina. Majoring in History and Politics.
