SCHP: Pedestrian fatalities are up in 2019 so far

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - South Carolina Highway Patrol says one out of every five traffic fatalities in the state so far this year has been pedestrians.

Cpl. Sonny Collins with SCHP says that number is up from last year.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety has a map with information on pedestrian fatalities from January 2018 to January 2019.

The map reveals 107 pedestrian accidents occurred in Horry County during that time frame.

17 of those accidents were fatal.

The roads with the most accidents were Kings Highway with seven and N Kings Highway with five.

As of Jan. 13, there were four pedestrian accidents in Horry County, one of which was fatal.

Collins says both drivers and pedestrians can play a part in minimizing accidents in the future.

He says pedestrians should wear bright clothes.

“Wear something that makes you stand out, whether it’s reflective gear, bright colored clothing … anything that a motorist can see you and identify where you are,” Collins said.

He also says most pedestrian accidents happen at night, so drivers need to be cautious of lighting situations on the road.

“If you’re driving 55 mph with your low beam headlights on, by the time something comes into your light path, there’s no way to stop,” he said. “You’re already past that point of no return. So we should be slowing down at night, looking for these pedestrians, because typically at night is where that crash happens.”

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