Gas tax hike could save lives

The Sun News recently printed a front page story about a Washington Transportation Group study which indicated that “it costs Myrtle Beach drivers nearly $1800 in personal time and operating costs because the state so poorly maintains roads.”

Those costs do not include our expensive auto insurance; nor do they cover the multitude of injuries or the “65 fatalities a year.”

I never did understand why my insurance rates increased when I moved here from Virginia. Now it makes sense. This study also indicates that the roads in Myrtle Beach are in “67 percent mediocre condition and 23 percent in poor state of repair.”

f the state would raise the gas tax immediately by 20 cents, it would cost the average South Carolinian approximately $100 a year. That is a far cry from the $1800 a year a driver spends now. Besides, how many lives could be saved and injuries prevented? Maybe even our insurance premiums could come down?

This does not even take into account that good infrastructure is a lifeline for a state’s business. There are millions of tourists who visit annually and would all be paying the additional tax.

The Sun News also posted an article by Lt. Gov. Kevin L. Bryant, who argued that a gas tax increase in not needed. He states that “dumping more money into a broken system is not the solution to our road problem.”

It takes money to fix the infrastructure. Maybe he and former Gov. Haley want to explain that to the families of those who have died due to poor road maintenance. A gas tax increase is long overdue.

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 7:03 AM with the headline "Gas tax hike could save lives."