Just this week, another pedestrian died after being hit by a vehicle. It’s a story that brings tragedy too often into the lives of families across the Lowcountry.
Late on May 26, a tow truck hit and killed a Maryland woman walking along Savannah Highway near car dealerships in West Ashley. Authorities declared Danielle Christenson, 32, dead at the scene.
So far this year, 23 people have died in crashes in Charleston County, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS). That is keeping pace with years prior — 65 fatalities at the end of 2023, 64 for 2022 and 77 for 2021.
The spotlight on traffic fatalities got a jolt last month as news reports highlighted how two drivers reportedly struck Lizzy Zito and Arianna Gamber, a pair of 20-year-olds who died while walking on Morrison Drive in Charleston in the early morning of April 28. Both drivers later were arrested in connection to the fatal accident. Charleston has since announced efforts to improve road safety after the girls died in what Charleston Mayor William Cogswell called a “preventable tragedy.”
“Their untimely deaths serve as a stark reminder of the critical importance of safeguarding our community against impaired driving,” he said. “Charleston has zero tolerance for drunk driving. We owe it to our community and to Lizzy and Arianna’s families that tragedies like this never happen again.”
Between 2017 and 2021, 13.49% of fatal crashes in Charleston County were DUI-related, according to the SCDPS. But the problem isn’t unique to Charleston, as statewide efforts in recent years have sought to combat the growing numbers of traffic incidents.
In July 2023, the S.C. General Assembly toughened the state’s impaired driving law by requiring all people convicted of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) install a device that would require the driver to submit a clean breath sample to start the engine. The law went into effect earlier this month.
Traffic fatalities across the state
According to the state Department of Transportation (SCDOT), there were 357 fatalities in S.C. from January 1 to May 29 2024. The SCDOT in 2023 announced its intent to continue to work with the SCDPS to “reduce collisions related to DUI, speed and unbelted occupants,” with an eventual goal of zero traffic fatalities.
While the three factors are among the leading causes of fatal collisions, “pedestrians are found contributing more often than vehicles,” to fatal crashes, said Charleston Police Department Sgt. Chris Stinton.
Some 51 pedestrians died in S.C. from Jan. 1 to May 29 2024, according to SCDPS data. A 2016 literature review by the SCDOT found that “distraction changes the way pedestrians walk, react, and behave, including safety-related behaviors.” The same study finds cell phone use by drivers is a growing concern.
A local initiative seeks to boost pedestrian safety
The “Heads Up” program, started last July, is a partnership between CPD, MUSC and CARTA that raises awareness for pedestrian safety, said Stinton. The Charleston initiative reminds pedestrians and drivers to “put away [their] phones and pay attention” through a combination of bus stop posters, crosswalk signage, print advertising and buses sporting the campaign’s message, according to MUSC.
But officials said drivers and pedestrians still have shared responsibilities to ensure road safety.
“As a police department we will continue the enforcement of distracted, aggressive, and impaired driving to make our roadways as safe as possible,” Stinton said.
This might be a challenge for Charleston police, as S.C. was found to be the state with the highest yearly rate of speeding fatalities—9.2 per 100,000 residents on average—according to a 2024 study by Munley Law that looked at 2021 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data.
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