DUI Rankings By State; SC Among the Worst (Myrtle Beach: insurance, crime rates)

[Geechie North]

But after review, this subissue is tangental to the real issue here- DUI rankings.

And one of my home states, Wisconsin, is #1 (or last) in that category.

Which makes sense, based on culture and sheer number of bars.

The mystery for me is why SC is #2.

[southernmeltdown]

Originally Posted by Geechie North

But they are based on AOL promoted data:


Most Dangerous States 2008 - AOL Money & Finance.


CQ Press originally published them, but their methodology is a composite result of equal rankings vs raw data, as generated by the FBI.

The latter is more accepted as accurate, fyi.

Most Dangerous States 2008 - AOL Money & Finance link is dead

[Geechie North]

If you click on the link in the "blue" section of #12, it opens.

I see in the AOL/CQ analysis SC is listed as the 4th most "Dangerous" state vs being # 1 in the FBI's "Most Violent" category.

[Mrs. P]

Originally Posted by Geechie North

But after review, this subissue is tangental to the real issue here- DUI rankings.

And one of my home states, Wisconsin, is #1 (or last) in that category.

Which makes sense, based on culture and sheer number of bars.

The mystery for me is why SC is #2.

ODL do you think bars really contribute that much to the figure? Maybe so.
Personally I can attest for the lack of law enforcement in my part of SC, as below:

Here's a for instance in regards to SC

I live in a condo complex my next door neighbor is a consistant drunk, and I mean consistant.
I've seen him come home park sideways and fall out of his truck and actually split open his head...EVERY TIME this guy gets behind a wheel he has a beer can open and drinking it. Flagrantly displaying the beer. He has no business behind the wheel of any vehicle. How does he drive all around Fort Mill and Rock Hill without EVER being stopped?????
He got busted in NC a few years ago for : open container, gun with no permit, and no license...so what's he do? moves across the state line to SC and promptly gets a license...WHY?

The Chinese neighbor on the other side (rents her condo) has lived here 2 years, has EXPIRED California plates (1 1/2 years expired). She sends her 2 kids to Fort Mill schools, she works in Charlotte. This tells me, though she
sends her kids to SC schools, she has never ever paid one dime of tax since she's moved to SC. Doesn't pay property tax she's a renter, doesn't pay property tax on her car, she hasn't registered nor bought plates for her car for 2 years, this also tells me this nitwit has no car insurance. She drives like a bat out of you know where.....Why oh Why has this woman not got busted yet, either in NC or SC for plates expiring 2 years ago.

This is our state enforcement of required driving and ownership of vehicles at it's best...

And people wonder why SC insurance is so high.

[Geechie North]

Originally Posted by Mrs. P

ODL do you think bars really contribute that much to the figure? Maybe so.
Personally I can attest for the lack of law enforcement in my part of SC, as below:

Here's a for instance in regards to SC

I live in a condo complex my next door neighbor is a consistant drunk, and I mean consistant.
I've seen him come home park sideways and fall out of his truck and actually split open his head...EVERY TIME this guy gets behind a wheel he has a beer can open and drinking it. Flagrantly displaying the beer. He has no business behind the wheel of any vehicle. How does he drive all around Fort Mill and Rock Hill without EVER being stopped?????
He got busted in NC a few years ago for : open container, gun with no permit, and no license...so what's he do? moves across the state line to SC and promptly gets a license...WHY?

The Chinese neighbor on the other side (rents her condo) has lived here 2 years, has EXPIRED California plates (1 1/2 years expired). She sends her 2 kids to Fort Mill schools, she works in Charlotte. This tells me, though she
sends her kids to SC schools, she has never ever paid one dime of tax since she's moved to SC. Doesn't pay property tax she's a renter, doesn't pay property tax on her car, she hasn't registered nor bought plates for her car for 2 years, this also tells me this nitwit has no car insurance. She drives like a bat out of you know where.....Why oh Why has this woman not got busted yet, either in NC or SC for plates expiring 2 years ago.

This is our state enforcement of required driving and ownership of vehicles at it's best...

And people wonder why SC insurance is so high.

I was a cop (Chas PD) many years back, and I can give you my take from that experience:

SC has always had a large transient population that has ignored the motor vehicle registration laws. There is also the 'drive only at night" crowd that has no license (or current one, anyway), and plays a probability game that they will not get caught.

I think that's still true, although may be more of a rural norm than it once was.

As far as the cops there vs elsewhere, I think the average officer does a reasonable job, but they are overwhelmed (based on my experience) with the crime rate, and the long hours.

[Mrs. P]

Originally Posted by Geechie North

I was a cop (Chas PD) many years back, and I can give you my take from that experience:

SC has always had a large transient population that has ignored the motor vehicle registration laws. There is also the 'drive only at night" crowd that has no license (or current one, anyway), and plays a probability game that they will not get caught.

I think that's still true, although may be more of a rural norm than it once was.

As far as the cops there vs elsewhere, I think the average officer does a reasonable job, but they are overwhelmed (based on my experience) with the crime rate, and the long hours.

We do not have officers here, we have the York County Sheriff. We are not in the city limits of either Fort Mill or Tega Cay, hence the Sheriff.

Problem is, when they start complaining there isn't enough $ for the schools, maybe they should take one fell swoop through some of the communities here.

In my community alone there are at least 5 expired plates....that's not only a fine for the coffers, but that's taxes as well.

I'm still coming to grips that people are allowed to talk on cell phones while driving, text while driving and have head phones on while driving...a clear distraction, and against the law in many states.

Oh well....I just hope the two neighbors are not brought to justice because they kill or maim someone.

[Geechie North]

Originally Posted by Mrs. P

We do not have officers here, we have the York County Sheriff. We are not in the city limits of either Fort Mill or Tega Cay, hence the Sheriff.

Problem is, when they start complaining there isn't enough $ for the schools, maybe they should take one fell swoop through some of the communities here.

In my community alone there are at least 5 expired plates....that's not only a fine for the coffers, but that's taxes as well.

I'm still coming to grips that people are allowed to talk on cell phones while driving, text while driving and have head phones on while driving...a clear distraction, and against the law in many states.


Oh well....I just hope the two neighbors are not brought to justice because they kill or maim someone.

If I could be so bold as to make a suggestion:

I don't know if the state law even permits it, but I do know that SC is a hodge-podge of counties, cities, towns, townships, public service districts, and even a few parishes (along the coast). Perhaps creating the office of constable (if legal) would help solve the problem?

But then SC has always had kind of a "badlands" reputation to it, and I'm sure the libertarian crowd would wail like banshees over another layer of government.

At any rate, good luck.

[southernmeltdown]

This is somthing the cops do down here, on a fri or sat night they go to the local bars and put very small reflective dots on the bumpers of cars in the parking lots then go and wait down the street and pull every car with a sticker, i have seen them get 15 or 20 on a single strip of road...

[usc_gal98]

If you have a great lawyer in SC, you can get off of a DUI easily. I know a guy in my area that has had six DUI charges and still has drivers license!

I also know a couple of young people who have lost their lives to DUI related deaths. It's sad.

[GJBenn85]

Originally Posted by usc_gal98

If you have a great lawyer in SC, you can get off of a DUI easily. I know a guy in my area that has had six DUI charges and still has drivers license!

I also know a couple of young people who have lost their lives to DUI related deaths. It's sad.

This state is an embarrassment in regards to enforcement of laws. There is just one example after another of a failed judicial system. Only in SC can someone have their license suspended 6+ times as a result of DUIs, still be on the roads, only to end up killing an entire family.

It seems South Carolina is a state of no consequences. You can kill multiple people while behind the wheel as a result of your own negligence and never face jail time.