SC is the fifth most-dangerous state for cyclists. How safe is Hilton Head?
Are bicyclists safe in South Carolina? What about on Hilton Head Island?
Recent research shows that South Carolina is the fifth most dangerous state for bicyclists.
Data gathered from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was studied and combined into a list of which U.S. states had the highest percentage of cyclist deaths according to population.
The research, conducted by Dolman Law Group, a personal injury and civil trial law firm, concluded that there are 49% higher deaths per 100,000 people in South Carolina than the national average.
What were the numbers that put South Carolina in fifth place?
The state of South Carolina had 3.5 deaths per 100,000 people after suffering a total of 178 bicyclist fatalities between 2010 and 2019. Throughout the study, the average number of bicyclist deaths rose each year.
To some, this may come as no surprise as, just in the first week of April this year alone, two bicyclists were hit by vehicles on Hilton Head Island as tourism season has begun.
“There are really concerns about traffic everywhere for bicyclists,” said Geri Brooks, a local on the island who lives year-round near Coligny Plaza. Brooks chose to relinquish and donate her car and now only relies on her tricycle and the Breeze trolley as her primary modes of transportation as her location doesn’t require owning a car.
“It’s pretty bad here as far as high season. High season never really ended when COVID hit,” Brooks said.
“We’re now a destination, so there needs to be a lot more attention to what they can do for bicyclists. Particularly, promoting bicycling that is really for the residents around the area rather than just the occasional recreational bicyclists, which they’ve done an excellent job with.”
“There could be a lot more done for us,” Brooks said. “Particularly, a little bit better as far as the timing on the lights. For example, it’s sometimes really hard, even for me on a tricycle, to get across in the length of time that they give you. I can’t imagine being a pedestrian and getting across in some of these areas.”
Hilton Head Island is no stranger to bicycle accidents. With many people not familiar with the local cycling laws, cyclists should use caution when driving near or on streets, especially those that tend to contain congested traffic or high speeds.
Coming in first as the most dangerous state for bicyclists, the state of Florida had 6.18 deaths per 100,000 people. This was concluded from the same research spanning between 2010 through 2019. A total of 1,341 bicyclists were killed in cyclist-involved accidents in Florida. Florida accumulated the highest rate in the nation and placed 162% higher than the national average. In total, Florida’s cyclist fatalities make up 17.4% of all American cyclist deaths between 2010 to 2019.
Louisiana landed in second place. The state accumulated 210 bicyclist deaths in the roughly 10-year period. This equates to 4.5 bicyclist deaths per 100,000 people, which is 91% higher than the national average.
Arizona, third on the list, had 3.69 deaths per 100,000 people, with 265 fatalities between 2010 and 2019. This ranked 57% higher than the national average.
In fourth place, the state of Delaware had 3.51 deaths per 100,000 people.
Coming in sixth through tenth places respectively were California, New Mexico, Michigan, Colorado, and Nevada.
For a list of the island’s public pathways and nature trails for cyclists, as well as pedestrians, visit https://www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/maps/PublicPathways.pdf.
This story was originally published April 25, 2022 at 8:29 AM.
