South-Carolina

South Carolina is worst state in nation for drunk driving fatalities: What to know

Published

2 years ago

June 27, 2024

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South Carolina is worst state in nation for drunk driving fatalities: What to know

South Carolina has a serious problem.

In a recent study conducted by Simrin Law Group, the state was named the worst in the country for drunken driving. Drunken drivers in the state were accountable for 43% of all traffic fatalities. This percentage significantly exceeded the national average of 32%. The study used the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data to determine the finding.

S.C. is not the only state in the South with the problem. In Texas, drunken driving made up 42% of traffic fatalities, while in New Mexico, it was 33%. Other Southern states also landed in the study’s worst 10 states for drunken driving, indicating a dangerous pattern in the region.

What states were in the top 10 for drunken driving? And what states had the least incidents? Here’s what to know.

Nearly half of SC’s fatal crashes involve alcohol

In the study, S.C. was determined the worst state for drunken driving in 2024, scoring 100 out of 100. Nearly half of the state’s fatal crashes involved alcohol, with 43% of traffic deaths due to drunken drivers. It also had 8.82 drunken driving deaths per 100,000 residents and 11.55 drunken drivers involved in fatal crashes per 100,000 licensed drivers, two categories where it scored significantly higher than the national averages.

Greenville, Spartanburg lead SC in 2024 highway traffic deaths

The SC Department of Public Safety reported that Greenville County led the state in the most highway traffic deaths so far in 2024. Spartanburg was second. In Greenville, a total of 35 deaths were recorded between January and June 2. During that same time frame, Spartanburg recorded 25. Anderson County was fifth in the state with 16 fatalities. Larger population areas like Richland and Charleston counties, in comparison, had 18 and 23 traffic deaths respectively, according to a previous Greenville News story.

In 2022, Greenville led the state with 48 traffic deaths and 36 in 2021. Last year, Spartanburg County was in the lead with 31 fatalities.

S.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Mitch Ridgeway believes fast population growth and unsafe driving habits such as distracted driving, driving under the influence, and speeding are contributors to the rising numbers of fatalities.

“Things like impaired driving are very preventable typically in 2024 because there’s more information out now than ever on the dangers of impaired driving,” Ridgeway said in a previous Greenville News story. “There’s a lot of services out there now. … You can be responsible and have a designated driver planned if you decide to drink.”

Key findings in the study

∎ In 2022, 13,500 lives were lost due to drunken driving, while 32% of traffic fatalities nationwide were alcohol related.

∎ Southern states lead the nation when it comes to drunken driving problems. S.C., Texas, and New Mexico all had drunken driving fatality rates exceeding the national average, while other Southern states like Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama followed closely behind.

∎ Northeastern states like Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut consistently rank among states with the lowest drunken driving rates. Greater access to public transportation and stricter DUI laws are factors that may be contributing to this.

Utah has the least drunken driving incidents nationwide

In comparison to S.C., Utah traffic fatalities involving alcohol were 22% of all the state’s traffic deaths, lower than the national average of 32%. Residents who died in drunken driving accidents were 2.08 out of every 100,000, and 2.99 out of every 100,000 licensed drivers were involved in fatal drunken-driving crashes.

Top 10 states with the least drunken driving problems in 2024

∎ No. 1: Utah, 31.39 rating

∎ No. 2: New Jersey, 31.79

∎ No. 3: Massachusetts, 31.80

∎ No. 4: Minnesota, 36.22

∎ No. 5: New York, 36.68

∎ No. 6: Alaska, 36.78

∎ No. 7: Pennsylvania, 39.31

∎ No. 8: Michigan, 40.64

∎ No. 9: Wisconsin, 41.03

∎ No. 10: Hawaii, 41.47

Nina Tran covers trending topics for The Greenville News. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com

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South-Carolina

North Augusta and Military Magnet Repeat as South Carolina Girls Basketball Championships Continue Title Trend

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2 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

North Augusta and Military Magnet Repeat as South Carolina Girls Basketball Championships Continue Title Trend

Out of the five classifications at the South Carolina High School League girls basketball state championships, only Class 2A was guaranteed to crown a new state champion which was Landrum.

Through two days of the “Weekend of Champions,” order was served as Berkeley, Walhalla and Blythewood all retained their respective titles.

On Saturday, Military Magnet and North Augusta made it 5-5 for repeat championships.

Lady Yellow Jackets Move a Step Closer to State History

North Augusta head coach Al Young is a former wide receiver who’s a member of the South Carolina State Athletics Hall of Fame.

After 37 years of coaching boys basketball and track at North Augusta, he came out of retirement to work with girls’ basketball.

It’s been more than a smooth transition for Young. On Saturday, the Lady Yellow Jackets defeated Westside 63-50 in the Class 4A final.

“I thought football was my first love,” Young said. “I’m not sure now.”

Another Tough Rematch with Westside

It was the seventh state title in 10 years for the Lady Yellow Jackets, fifth with Young at the helm. They also tied Blackville-Hilda, the 63-50 win over Westside.

North Augusta guard Ashley Walker is guarded by Westside’s Harmoni Earn. | Thomas Grant Jr.

The win tied North Augusta for second-most in state history behind Lower Richland, Hollywood, Marion and Blackville-Hilda. Only Bowman and the legendary Monetta teams of the 1930s have more with eight titles.

For the second straight year, the Lady Yellow Jackets had to defeat the Lady Rams. Messiah Williams scored four straight points to help them take a 6-0 advantage.

Down 16-7, Westside responded with a 10-3 run sparked by six straight points from forward Makyhia Paul. The Lady Rams’ defense also forced North Augusta into turnovers to help stay close through the second quarter.

Westside briefly tied the game at 24-24. With two seconds left, Taylor Boney scored her only points of the game on a layup to put North Augusta up 26-24 at halftime.

Second Half Adjustments Help North Augusta

Guard Celana Grant, who scored a team-high 15 points along with Azaria Sapp, said they was implored to cut down on the turnovers.

“We turned the ball over a lot in the first half and we also turned it over in the second half,” she said. “But we made better decisions. We were looking for each other and we made great plays.”

After a 3-pointer by Monasia Clinkscales brought Westside within a point, North Augusta answered with eight straight points and increased its lead to 10 for the first time.

The Lady Rams got no closer than five the rest of the way. A jumper by Ashley Walker put the Lady Yellow Jackets up 44-34 going into the fourth quarter.

North Augusta extended its lead as many as 16 points before the final buzzer.

Lady Eagles post weekend’s most dominant performance

The ‘machine’ known as Military Magnet continues to roll along in Class A.

Military Magnet after winning the Class A title | S.C. High School League

The Lady Eagles led from start to finish in 70-21 rout of Great Falls. They were already ahead 16-2 before the Lady Red Devils made their second and last field goal of the first quarter.

Eighth-grader Mariah Brown provided problems on both sides of the basketball. She outscored the entire Great Falls’ roster with 25 points, seven rebounds and was one of five players with three or more steals.

Guard Xahar Pinckney had a team-high five of their 17 steals while also forcing 31 turnovers.

In leading as many as 51 points, Military Magnet kept Greats Falls in double digits in all four quarters. In fact, the 28 points scored in the second quarter to go up 50-13 at halftime was more than Great Falls’ entire scoring output.

This was the fifth state title in six state title appearances in seven years by Military Magnet. Great Falls was making its first championship appearance since 1979.

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Clemson Linebacker Honored As South Carolina’s Best Athlete

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15 hours ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

Clemson Linebacker Honored As South Carolina’s Best Athlete

This week, Clemson added another trophy to the cabinet, but this wasn’t a team award. Junior linebacker Sammy Brown was honored with the Blanchard-Rogers Award, which honors the most spectacular athlete in the state of South Carolina.

The sky is the limit for Brown, who seems to just keep getting better.

After receiving the 2024 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year award, Brown turned around and posted an even stronger sophomore campaign, now appropriately honored by the Roger-Blanchard award.

With 106 total tackles (51 solo), five sacks and a forced fumble and an interception a piece, Brown caused mayhem in the 2025 season.

But in a year where Clemson drastically underperformed by many metrics, Brown was undoubtedly a bright spot, and he recognized that this season taught him lessons beyond football.

“There’s just so much that I can give credit to this season. It’s not all bad can come from, you know, having a bad season,” Brown said after a loss to Penn State in Clemson’s bowl game capped the season at 7-6.

Since its inception in 2013, Brown is the seventh Clemson player to be selected for the award. But in receiving the award, Sammy Brown is breaking a trend that has strongly favored the Tigers’ foe: the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Cocks have dominated the award since Jalin Hyatt received it in 2022. Then, it was Xavier Legette, followed by Kyle Kennard, who received the nomination last year.

In its early years, the award essentially functioned as Clemson’s “best player” honor, with the Tigers claiming five of the first six selections.

Returning the award to upstate South Carolina, Brown joins the elite company of Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson, Travis Etienne Jr., Vic Beasley and Tajh Boyd.

Brown is the first Clemson defensive player to win the award since Vic Beasley.

Brown will be formally honored by the South Carolina Hall of Fame on April 16, 2026 at Hotel Hartness in Greenville, South Carolina.

Heading into his third season with Clemson, Brown will be leaned on heavily in 2026. Now as a veteran with several elite awards and recognitions, Brown will be a backbone relied on for leadership and direction — and he knows it.

“Its going to be really tough and a lot of guys are going to have to take on new new roles and I’m going to have to step into the into the leadership role and take on being more of a vocal leader,” Brown said. “It’s going to be tough, but it’s going to be a new journey for me, a new journey for this team and I’m really excited and looking forward to that.”

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What Kim Mulkey said about Dawn Staley, South Carolina vs LSU rematch

Published

1 day ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

What Kim Mulkey said about Dawn Staley, South Carolina vs LSU rematch

GREENVILLE — South Carolina women’s basketball and LSU already faced off in primetime and will now meet again on a big stage.

The No. 1 seed Gamecocks (30-2) and No. 4 seed Tigers (27-4) are playing in the SEC Tournament semifinals on March 7 (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

South Carolina and coach Dawn Staley beat coach Kim Mulkey and LSU 79-72 on Feb. 14 to secure an 18th straight victory in the series.

It was a tight game in Baton Rouge, with the largest lead eight for the Gamecocks and six for the Tigers. South Carolina went on a 6-0 run in the final 25 seconds, with LSU missing five fourth-quarter free throws.

“I don’t know that I can expect anything, that I can just say, ‘Oh, I expect this.’ I expect two teams that respect each other, that are good for the SEC, good for women’s basketball, and they’re competitors,” Mulkey said.

Before arriving in Baton Rouge, Mulkey coached for 21 seasons at Baylor. She beat South Carolina twice at Baylor but she has yet to beat Staley with the Tigers. Staley is 7-2 against Mulkey heading into this year’s rematch.

The last six wins have gone to Staley. One came in the SEC Tournament championship in 2024, but they didn’t meet in 2025, with the Gamecocks beating Texas in last year’s tournament final.

“It should be a game that a lot of women’s basketball fans should watch because you’re looking at great talent on the floor,” Mulkey said. “You’re looking at two coaches that — well, I’m old. Dawn’s not quite as old as I am, but they’ve done a lot in the game. It will be good for the game. It will be good TV, and I don’t anticipate anything but it being a good game.”

The first matchup was the first women’s basketball game to air on ABC on a Saturday night. The network specifically chose the game, knowing the matchup always delivers in addition to MiLaysia Fulwiley layer.

Fulwiley transferred to Mulkey’s LSU team after two seasons with Staley at South Carolina. She had six points in the first meeting and comes into the rematch off 22 points and eight assists vs Oklahoma.

ESPN said the first meeting averaged 1.7 million viewers, peaking at 2.2 million, which was the most-watched women’s college basketball game across all networks this season. South Carolina’s win over Tennessee on Feb. 8 held the previous record, peaking at 1.5 million.

South Carolina has been the No. 3 team in the country most of the season. LSU was No. 6 during the matchup and still is. The Gamecocks are one of four No. 1 seeds in bracketology projections and the Tigers are a No. 2 seed for March Madness.

In just her second season with LSU, Mulkey won the national championship in 2023, which marked her fourth overall after winning three with Baylor (2005, 2012, 2019.)

Staley has three overall, all from her time at South Carolina with the first in 2017. She won in 2022 and 2024, with Mulkey’s title right in-between her two most recent championships.

“When you toss it up, you’re trying to win,” Mulkey said. “Someone’s going to win. Someone’s going to lose. But think of what’s ahead. It doesn’t matter what happens in this tournament, it’s what all of us are trying to do, and that is get to a Final Four and win a natty.”

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky‪@bylulukesin.bsky.social‬

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