The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) recently highlighted significant progress in improving roadway safety and announced continued joint efforts to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries across the state.
During a joint press conference, officials emphasized that South Carolina is seeing meaningful results from coordinated safety initiatives and outlined how those efforts will continue moving forward.
SCDOT and SCDPS reaffirmed their shared commitment to working together, alongside local governments, law enforcement and community partners, to build on recent progress and make South Carolina’s roadways safer for everyone.
SCDPS shared annual roadway fatalities in South Carolina are at their lowest level in more than a decade. According to preliminary figures, South Carolina has undergone a 21% reduction in traffic fatalities in the past four years, from 1,198 in 2021 to 946 in 2025 and that reduction has continued so far in 2026.
“While this progress in recent years is encouraging, we know that the change did not happen by accident,” Robert G. Woods IV, director at SCDPS said. “We believe it is the result of our consistent data-driven enforcement efforts, targeted education and community engagement strategies and strong partnerships at the state and local levels.”
SCDOT highlighted the success of its rural road safety initiatives, which have contributed to a 30% reduction in fatal and serious injury crashes on targeted roadways.
These improvements include infrastructure upgrades such as rumble strips, roadway widening and safety barriers, all designed to reduce the risk and severity of crashes, particularly on rural roads where fatalities are more likely to occur.
“Every crash statistic represents a person, a family, a community,” Justin Powell, SCDOT secretary said. “While these numbers are encouraging, even one life lost is too many. Together, through safer roads, stronger partnerships and responsible choices, we can save even more lives. We ask every South Carolinian to be part of the solution and be that driver.”
Building on this progress, SCDOT and SCDPS jointly announced the launch of the 2025–2029 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), a comprehensive, data-driven roadmap to further reduce fatalities and serious injuries on South Carolina roadways.
The SHSP was developed in collaboration with a wide range of local, state and federal partners and identifies key priorities based on statewide crash data. The plan focuses on the Federal Highway Administration’s “4 Es” of safety:
- Engineering
- Education
- Enforcement
- Emergency Response
This coordinated approach will guide safety efforts across the state over the next five years.
As part of the state’s ongoing commitment to safety, SCDOT and SCDPS introduced the “Be That Driver” campaign, a new initiative aimed at encouraging safer driving behaviors among all South Carolinians.
The campaign supports the goals of the SHSP by promoting personal responsibility behind the wheel and raising awareness about behaviors that contribute to serious crashes, including speeding, impaired driving, and distracted driving.
Soon after the press conference, SCDPS shared updated information on a new law agencies across the state are enforcing.
After a six-month warning period, law enforcement began issuing citations for the state’s Hands-Free and Distracted Driving Law on Feb. 28.
The total number of citations issues by SCDPS for hands-free violations from Feb. 28 to March 29 is 1,994.
The total number of hands-free citations issued by other law enforcement agencies for hands-free violations during the same period is 1,501, bringing the statewide total of hands-free citations to nearly 3,500.
The South Carolina Hands-Free law prohibits drivers from holding or supporting a mobile device with any part of their body to read or send texts or emails, use websites, browse/post on social media, watch movies or take calls and video calls.
