For the first time in five years, traffic fatalities in the Palmetto State are below the 1,000 mark, with statistics showing a 15.5 percent decrease in 2008.

The number of fatalities haven't been this low since about 1995.

"We want to continue these numbers downward," said Sid Gaulden, spokesman for the SC. Department of Transportation. "We ended the year with 903."

On Monday, Gaulden was preparing a year-end draft of the official fatality count, which through midnight on Dec. 31 revealed a decrease of 174 deaths from 2007.

As of Dec. 31, 2008, 903 people have died on South Carolina highways, compared to 1,077 in 2007.

Of the state's 46 counties, 12 showed an increase, most only slightly over the previous year's numbers. Lexington County traffic deaths, however, skyrocketed from 41 in 2007 to 60 last year.

Some, like Anderson County with a 42 percent decrease, saw significantly lower numbers of fatalities.

For the past three years, Orangeburg County had averaged 49 traffic deaths. This year saw a significant drop in the numbers of deaths, at 28 -- a 43 percent decrease over the past three-year average.

Calhoun County, which saw eight traffic deaths in 2007, dropped to only one last year - a whopping 87 percent drop. Bamberg County went from five deaths in 2007 to two in 2008.

Neighboring Berkeley and Dorchester counties saw a slight increase. Berkeley went from 29 to 39 fatalities, while Dorchester increased by one to 22.

Barnwell County went from 10 to nine highway deaths while Allendale is one of the 12 counties that saw an increase. The numbers in that county climbed from one in 2007 to six last year.

Four counties - Chester, Clarendon, Darlington and Lancaster - remained the same, while the rest, 30 counties in all, showed a decrease in traffic deaths.

"If you look at it, there's a number of reasons," Gaulden said. "There has been an increase in seat belts used in the state."

Gaulden said federal statistics show that 79 percent of motorists traveling on South Carolina's roads are using a seat belt. That's an increase of 15 percent from five years ago.

Officials say more than 200 new troopers have been put on the road.

"We're up to our strongest in years," Gaulden said. "We're up to around 970 (troopers) right now."

According to AAA Carolinas, Christmas holiday travelers were expected to number 1.9 million in North Carolina (down 22,000 travelers compared to last Christmas) and 953,000 (down 10,500) in South Carolina. Lower gas prices arrived last month in time for the traditional holiday travel period.

With a statewide average of $1.55 a gallon for regular unleaded, South Carolina is seeing its lowest gas prices since February 2004.

"You have to give credit to (higher) gas prices to some extent," Gaulden said of the triple-digit decrease in fatalities.

Preliminary figures for the 2008 holiday period show eight people killed on South Carolina highways. During the same 102-hour time frame in 2007, 13 people died.

The bottom line, Gaulden said, is that the combination of higher gas prices for much of the year and the increased law enforcement effort has kept the state's highway fatality numbers from topping 1,000 for the fifth year running.

"It's (Highway) Patrol, it's Orangeburg County, it's Orangeburg City working together in these communities," Gaulden said. "A better year would be where we have lower numbers."

He added, "The leading cause of collisions, whether it's fatal or not, is inattention. There's just so many distractions out there today."

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5516.

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