Slowing down: Deadly crashes dropping in Horry County. Here’s what may cause most wrecks
The number of fatal crashes in Horry County has gone down this year compared to the last three years, according to the S.C. Department of Public Safety.
There were 55 fatalities in Horry County between Jan. 1 and Dec. 2. Last year at this time, there were 63 fatal crashes, just slightly down from 65 in 2016.
“It (the decline) may indicate that drivers are being more responsible, but we are still seeing too many people not wearing seat belts,” said Cpl. Sonny Collins with S.C. Highway Patrol. “We will continue to be proactive through high visibility enforcement and education to drive the number of highway fatalities lower.”
Here are the number of fatalities by county from Jan. 1 to Dec. 2:
| County | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Horry | 55 | 63 | 65 | 77 |
| Georgetown | 14 | 16 | 6 | 15 |
Collins said speeding is the leading cause of crashes, especially on rural roads.
South Carolina has had 924 fatal crashes this year, up from 914 this time last year. Spartanburg County has had the highest amount of fatal wrecks at 65. Greenville County follows at 64 and Lexington County at 62.
This story was originally published December 3, 2018 at 2:11 PM.