A new report from TRIP evaluates the causes and broader impacts of traffic crashes nationwide and at the state level. Following a sharp increase during the pandemic, traffic fatalities nationwide declined in 2022 and 2023.

South Carolina’s rates follow similar trends, with traffic fatalities peaking in 2021. Since then, the number of traffic fatalities in South Carolina has decreased by 14 percent, and the fatality rate per 100 million VMT has reduced by 18 percent.

TRIP estimates that fatal and serious traffic crashes in South Carolina in 2023 caused a total of $30.9 billion in value of societal harm, which includes $7.7 billion in economic costs and $23.3 billion in quality-of-life costs.

South Carolina continues to invest in roadway improvements and rural road safety enhancements; however, this is just part of the equation. The report finds that drivers engaging in risky behaviors are key contributors to crashes.

Improving safety and reducing fatalities is a collective effort that involves all road users, law enforcement, traffic engineering/design, vehicle manufacturers, and first responders.

With vehicle travel only expected to increase in South Carolina in the coming years, this report serves as a timely reminder that even with roadway design improvements and advancements in vehicle technologies, there is no substitute for safe driving habits. Safe roads begin with safe drivers.

News Release: Fatal & Serious Traffic Crashes in South Carolina Resulted in $30.9 Billion in Economic and Quality-of-Life Costs in 2023 | TRIP (tripnet.org)

The House and Senate returned to Columbia this week to take up conference reports and the FY24-25 budget. This year’s budget is the result of a compromise that puts dollars to work for the people of SC through tax relief and makes key investments in core government functions – including our roads and bridges.

Specifically, the budget includes approximately $564 million in one-time allocations to the SCDOT and County Transportation Committees (CTCs). It also maintains the $120 million recurring allocation (established in FY22-23) to match IIJA funding.

Homestead Exemption (HEX) Funds significantly influenced this year’s budget. HEX Funds not only funded a large portion of the transportation infrastructure investments but were also used to accelerate income tax cuts and invest in rural infrastructure, including water/sewer.

The budget was passed by the House by a vote of 96-13 and by the Senate unanimously, 41-0.

The budget now heads to Governor McMaster, who has line-item veto authority. Any line-item vetoes issued could be addressed in the fall or when legislators return to Columbia in January to begin the 2025 session.

SCFOR applauds the work of the House and Senate and appreciates their ongoing commitment to improving our transportation infrastructure. We encourage you to reach out to your House and Senate members to thank them.

There will be several runoffs on Tuesday, June 25.  We have compiled a summary of runoff Legislative races below (and one Congressional race in the upstate).  If you live in any of these districts where runoffs are happening and didn’t vote on Tuesday, June 11, you can still vote in the runoff.

However, if you did vote, just remember that you cannot vote in another party’s runoff. In other words, if you voted in the Republican primary, you can’t vote in a Democratic runoff, and vice versa.

Early voting for the runoffs begins June 19 and runs through June 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

On Tuesday, June 25, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, visit the SC Election Commission website.

Senate District 10: Greenwood, Saluda, Lexington

Incumbent Senator Billy Garrett will face Charles Bumgardner in District 10. The winner will face Democrat Francie Kleckley in November.

Senate District 23: Lexington

Incumbent Senator Katrina Shealy will face Carlisle Kennedy in District 23. The winner will not face opposition in November.

Senate District 6: Greenville

Rep. Jason Elliott will face Ben Carper in District 6. The winner will not face opposition in November. This seat is currently held by Senator Dwight Loftis (R), who is retiring.

Senate District 12: Greenville & Spartanburg

Former Senator Lee Bright will face Rep. Roger Nutt in a runoff for District 12.  The winner will face Democrat Octavia Amaechi in November. This seat is currently held by Senator Scott Talley (R) who is retiring.

Senate District 22: Richland

Rep. Ivory Thigpen and Overture Walker move to a runoff for District 22. The winner will face Workers Party candidate Gary Votour in November. This seat is currently held by Senator Mia McLeod (I) who is retiring.

Senate District 26: Calhoun, Lexington, Richland

Republicans Chris Smith and Jason Guerry move to a runoff in District 26. The winner of the runoff will face Rep. Russell Ott (D) in the November election.

Senate District 35: Kershaw, Lee, Richland, Sumter

Republicans Mike Jones and Lindsay Agostini  and Democrats Jeffrey Graham and Austin Floyd have runoffs to secure their party’s nomination. The winners of the respective runoffs will move to the November General Election.

House District 9: Anderson

Republicans James Galyean and Blake Sanders move to a runoff. The winner of the runoff will not face opposition in November.

House District 28: Greenville

Republicans Chris Huff and Kerri Smith will move to a runoff in District 28. The winner of the runoff will face Democrat J. Fritz Wiebel in the November General Election.

House District 34: Spartanburg

Republicans Sarita Edgerton and Joanne LaBounty move to a runoff in District 34. The winner of the runoff will not face opposition in November.

House District 93: Calhoun, Lexington, Orangeburg

Former Rep. Jerry Govan and Johnny Felder move to a Democratic runoff for District 93. The winner of the runoff will face Republican Krista Hasell and Workers Party candidate Harold Geddings in November.

3rd Congressional District: Anderson, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens

Republicans Sherri Biggs and Mark Burns move to a runoff in the 3rd Congressional District.  The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Bryon Best in the November General Election.

The Primary elections on June 11 were key races for members of the SC House and Senate that were on the ballot. In many cases, the winners of the Primaries will be the ones serving in the legislature come January. There will be several runoffs, especially for Senate seats, and razor-thin margins decided a few races. Here’s a recap of the SC House and Senate elections

SC House Races

SCFOR tracked thirty-seven (37) incumbent races in the June 11 Primary Elections for the SC House. This year, these races covered the whole gamut, with long-serving members, House leadership, and newly elected members facing challengers. Three incumbents lost their seats: Rep. Bill Sandifer (R-Oconee); Rep. Jay West (R-Anderson); and Rep. Jerry Carter (R-Pickens). A look at all incumbent races is illustrated below.

In addition, there were 15 open seats in the SC House due to retirements and newly drawn districts. Thirteen (13) of those seats had primary races, and an overview of the winners of the open seats can be viewed here.

SC Senate Races

SCFOR tracked thirteen (13) incumbent races for the SC Senate. In all, a total of three (3) incumbents lost their seats: Senator Penry Gustafson (R-Kershaw); Senator Dick Harpootlian (D-Richland), and Senator Sandy Senn (R-Charleston).

There were five (5) open seats in the SC Senate due to retirements and newly drawn districts. Some incumbents/candidates did not receive 50% of the vote, they will face runoffs on Tuesday, June 25. An overview of Senate races is illustrated below.

Senator Katrina Shealy will face Carlisle Kennedy in District 23 (Lexington). Shealy earned 40% of the vote. Kennedy came in second with 36.2% of the vote. The winner will not face opposition in November.

Rep. Jason Elliott will face Ben Carper in District 6 (Greenville). The winner will not face opposition in November. Elliott received 48.3% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary, and Carper came in second with 31.3%. This seat is currently held by Senator Dwight Loftis (R), who is retiring.

Former Senator Lee Bright will face Rep. Roger Nutt in a runoff for District 12 (Greenville & Spartanburg). Bright received 36.2% of the vote, Nutt came in second place with 23.2% of the vote. The winner will face Democrat Octavia Amaechi in November. This seat is currently held by Senator Scott Talley (R) who is retiring.

Rep. Ivory Thigpen and Overture Walker move to a runoff for District 22 (Richland). Thigpen received 42.9% of the vote, and Overture earned 40.3%. The winner will face Workers Party candidate Gary Votour in November. This seat is currently held by Senator Mia McLeod (I).

Mike Jones and Lindsay Agostini move to a runoff for the Republican nomination for District 35 (Kershaw, Lee Richland, Sumter). Jones earned 49.5% of the vote, while Agostini came in second with 30.3%. Democrats Jeffrey Graham and Austin Floyd also have a runoff. Graham earned 46.9% of the vote, while Floyd received 37.7%. The winners of the respective runoffs will move to the November General Election. This seat is currently held by Senator Thomas McElveen (D), who is retiring.

View All 2024 House & Senate Races

Based on unofficial results as published by the SC Election Commission. All photos sourced from the SC legislative website, legislative caucuses, campaign websites, and/or public social media pages. Some candidates did not have websites or social media pages for photos to be included in this report. 

The Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) met Monday (May 20) to receive an update on general fund revenues. This was a key meeting, given the revenue forecast has remained unchanged since November 2023.

Frank Rainwater, Executive Director of the SC Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, reported that revenues were $645 million ahead of the forecast and the anticipated slowdown has been less than expected. (You will recall that despite revenues exceeding estimates, economists have remained cautious and wanted tax filing season to pass before adjusting the forecast.)

The ongoing positive revenue trends prompted the BEA to increase the revenue estimates for FY24 and FY25. Specifically, these adjustments will provide legislators with an additional $143 million in recurring revenue and $467 million in non-recurring revenue to appropriate in the FY25 budget that resides in conference committee.

While most anticipated the increase in revenues, now that it is official, conferees have more to work with as they sort out differences between the House and Senate budget versions. Budget conferees plan to meet next week to begin their deliberations.

Allocations to the state bridge program, county transportation committees (CTCs), and rural road safety remain on the table.

Between the homestead exemption funds and this additional revenue, conferees will have more flexibility in their negotiations. Hopefully, some of this flexibility will benefit infrastructure investments, especially the bridge program.

An allocation of $200 million would provide an adequate investment, split evenly between primary and secondary networks.

Many bridges in the state’s extensive network are aging out of their intended lifespan. Over 2,400 bridges are over 60 years old. At the current rate of repair, the number of bridges in need of repair or replacement will reach 3,900 over the next decade.

Detours associated with closures and load restrictions impact commutes and impede commerce and emergency response times. This is a reality for many, given there are 675 load-restricted bridges, and 65 closed bridges statewide.

SCFOR applauds the legislature’s actions to date to make infrastructure investment a budget priority, and we hope that the announcement of additional revenues this week will help make these investments a reality.

FY24-25 Budget Conference Committee Members

Senators Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee), Nikki Setzler (D-Lexington), and Sean Bennett (R-Dorchester)

Representatives Bruce Bannister (R-Greenville), Phil Lowe (R-Florence), and Leon Stavrinakis (D-Charleston)

At the May 16 SCDOT Commission meeting, Commissioners approved investment levels and 727 miles of ranked projects for inclusion in the FY24-25 pavement program.

In the upcoming fiscal year, $719 million will be invested in pavements. A breakdown of funding by category is below:

• Interstates: $150 million
• Primary Roads: $347 million
• Farm-to-Market Secondaries: $140 million
• Neighborhood Streets: $82 million

Funding for primary roads, farm-to-market secondaries, and neighborhood streets is allocated at the county level. These allocations are based on the county’s relative share of lane miles in each system.

Commissioners approved these funding levels and ranked project lists for reconstruction and rehabilitation of Primaries, Farm to Market Secondaries, and Neighborhood Streets for inclusion in the FY24-25 program.

The proposed projects are open for a 21-day public comment period. Any substantive comments will be provided to the Commission for its consideration. Barring any substantive comments, the projects will be incorporated into the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).