Beaufort County road myths: Does a lack of street lighting make roads more dangerous?

One driver lost control of his Toyota and fatally crashed along a Hilton Head Island back road.

Another turned left without yielding, killing a motorcyclist crossing Bluffton Parkway.

A third killed a 34-year-old who was walking to watch a solar eclipse in Hilton Head's busiest tourism district.

While every fatal car wreck has contributing factors -- alcohol, road conditions, driving speed -- these three had one element in common: They happened in the dark.

Such moonlight crashes have caused some elected officials to call for more street lamps along Beaufort County's shadowy stretches, particularly in Bluffton and on Hilton Head Island, as well as some remote areas in the northern part of the county.

But shiny roadside lights might not be welcomed by residents who covet a clear night sky, town officials say.

"People view it as a badge of honor that we don't have lights," Hilton Head town manager Steve Riley said. "(Street lights) come up from time to time but it doesn't get a lot of traction. You get push back."

It comes as no surprise that more wrecks happen at night. Street lights or not, it's harder to see in the dark. Nighttime drivers also are more likely to be tired or drunken.

But some law enforcement officials are alarmed by the number of wrecks that happen after nightfall where there are no lights.

From 2009 to 2014, 62 of the 104 fatal wrecks in Beaufort County happened at night. Of those 62 wrecks, 42 occurred where there are no street lights. Fourteen more did not have a specific type of lighting listed, according to available records.

Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner said lighting is a "huge factor" when it comes to nighttime crashes. He said better lighting along main roads such as Bluffton Parkway and side streets on Hilton Head Island could cut down the number of wrecks.

He singled out Hilton Head for its insistence on low lighting. Privacy that comes from the island's dim lighting is part of the Hilton Head's draw. But it can also be unsafe, he said.

Hilton Head officials have wrestled with lighting in the past, according to Riley.

"What I heard was, 'That's not what we are. We're trying to not be the place, like other tourism places, where you can't see the nighttime sky,'" said Riley.

Town Councilman Bill Harkins said it might be time to revisit the proposal.

He endorsed researching additional lighting for Hilton Head's main thoroughfares, especially those with frequent wrecks. He said it was likely the town could find street lamps to illuminate the road while keeping residential areas dark.

"For the interest of public safety it deserves taking a look," he said. "I think with new technology, lighting could focus on a prescribed area."

But some residents want immediate action.

Diana Mercer Imler's daughter, Jenny Mercer, was killed at night on her way to watch a solar eclipse at the beach. The November 2013 hit-and-run crash on South Forest Beach Drive remains unsolved.

There are many things Imler wishes she knew about that night: Who was the driver? Was he or she drunken? How could the motorist not have seen Jenny on the side of the road?

But she's clear about one thing. Street lights on the lampless road would have helped.

"Had there been lighting there, maybe the driver would have seen her," Imler said. "It's so dangerous that we don't have proper lighting, and everyone knows it."

This story was originally published March 7, 2015 at 7:45 PM with the headline "Beaufort County road myths: Does a lack of street lighting make roads more dangerous?."