Study ranks U.S. 17 as S.C.’s most dangerous highway for summer travel

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – A new study ranks U.S. 17 as South Carolina’s most dangerous highway for summertime travel.

That study from home and personal security website A Secure Life looked at traffic fatality reports from the National Highway Traffic Safety for 2015 through 2017. Researchers focused on the months of May through September each year.

During those years, 82 deaths in S.C. occurred during the summer months on U.S. 17, the stretch of road that’s known as the Coastal Highway, according to the study.

Researchers noted that U.S. 17’s relatively high number of summertime fatalities was in contrast to S.C. being one of the 10 smallest states in the country.

The most dangerous road for summer travel, based on the number of fatalities, was Interstate 5 in California. From 2015 to 2017, that stretch of highway had 192 deaths during the summer months, according to the study.

For more on the study, click here.