What’s behind the rise in traffic deaths

Why are traffic deaths in York County on the increase this year? We might get a more accurate answer to that once researchers get a closer look at the data from the individual accident sites.

Meanwhile, we are left to speculate – and to refocus on the primary causes of accidents during any given year.

With five months remaining in 2016, the number of fatalities already has overtaken the total for all of last year. Through July 23 of this year, York County had 24 highway deaths, six more than the 18 deaths in the entire year of 2015.

The deaths this year include motor vehicle drivers and passengers, motorcyclists, pedestrians and a moped driver. Once the information on each of these accidents is compiled, officials will look for trends that might explain the increase.

But S.C. Highway Patrol officers already believe that low gas prices could be a factor. With cheaper fuel prices, people are more likely to take to the road, making short trips they might not have if prices at the pump were higher.

Another factor could be population growth. York County is among the fastest-growing counties in the state, and more people means more cars on the road.

It also seems likely that bad roads could contribute to more accidents. And bad roads are plentiful and likely to get worse in the months ahead.

None of these factors fully explain the sharp increase in traffic fatalities locally, but it seems logical that they could contribute to the problem.

The more likely culprit, however, is human error. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that 94 percent of crashes can be tied to bad choices and negligence on the part of drivers.

That points to familiar reasons for accidents – drug and alcohol impairment, failure to wear seat belts, speeding and, in our increasingly technocentric lives, distracted driving. Fiddling with cell phones and other devices now claims the lives of more teens on the road than drinking and driving.

Researchers need to delve into the data to determine why traffic fatalities have increased this year in particular – not only in York County but also statewide and nationally. But motorists need to keep in mind that many of the factors that contribute to accidents are under their control.

Everyone can reduce the chances of becoming a statistic by buckling up, driving the speed limit, not drinking and driving, ignoring cell phones while behind the wheel and paying attention to what’s going on around them. The uptick in road deaths is regrettable but, in at least some cases, also preventable.

This story was originally published August 2, 2016 at 6:01 PM with the headline "What’s behind the rise in traffic deaths."