In South Carolina, after peaking in 1986, at 636 and reaching their lowest level in 1994, at 269, the actual number of alcohol-related deaths increased to pre-1986 levels.  The percentage of traffic fatalities that were alcohol related has also increased in recent years after dropping to its lowest level of 32% in 1994. For the most recent year reported, out of all traffic fatalities, 44% involved a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher, down from 55% in 1983.

Year	Fatalities
	Tot	Alc-Rel	%	0.08+	%
1982	730	441	60	402	55
1983	844	509	60	463	55
1984	916	503	55	452	49
1985	951	534	56	480	50
1986	1,059	636	60	560	53
1987	1,086	577	53	495	46
1988	1,031	523	51	456	44
1989	996	473	47	403	40
1990	979	494	50	421	43
1991	890	420	47	379	43
1992	807	352	44	307	38
1993	846	305	36	273	32
1994	847	269	32	243	29
1995	881	346	39	300	34
1996	930	428	46	374	40
1997	903	362	40	330	37
1998	1,002	372	37	334	33
1999	1,065	391	37	357	34
2000	1,065	480	45	424	40
2001	1,060	582	55	513	48
2002	1,053	549	52	485	46
2003	968	488	50	423	44
2004	1,046	464	44	413	39
2005	1,093	464	42	396	36
2006	1,037	477	46	420	40
2007	1,066	520	49	463	43
2008	920	463	50	403	44

 

The table above shows the total number of traffic fatalities (Tot) for the South Carolina, alcohol related fatalities (Alc-Rel) and fatalities in crashes where the highest BAC in the crash was 0.08 or above (0.08+).

It is important to note that the South Carolina drunk driving statistics, as shown above, include data from individuals who were in an alcohol-related crash, but not driving a motor vehicle at the time. The U.S. Department of Transportation defines alcohol-related deaths as "fatalities that occur in crashes where at least one driver or non-occupant (pedestrian or bicyclist) involved in the crash has a positive Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) value."

The fatality rates shown above refer to the number of people killed in all traffic accidents and, separately, in alcohol related traffic accidents, per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT).

Criminal status of DUI laws in South Carolina

In South Carolina, 1st offense is a misdemeanor, 2nd offense is a class C misdemeanor, 3rd offense is a class A misdemeanor, 4th and subsequent offenses are class F felonies. Citation:§§ 16-1-10 , 16-1-20 , 16-1-90 (F), 16-1-100(A) & (C) & 56-5-2940 ⁽²⁾

Sources for South Carolina drunk driving information and statistics

US Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 12/02
⁽²⁾ National Conference of State Legislatures, 2004

National drunk driving statistics in the US...

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