S.C. Car Accident Lawyer Urges Lawmakers to Find Workable Plan to Improve State's Highways
Columbia, SC (PRWEB) March 26, 2015 -- South Carolina car accident lawyer Bert Louthian today applauded S.C. lawmakers for making the funding of road improvements a priority for this legislative session.
GoUpstate.com reported on March 20, 2015, that at least three legislative proposals are under discussion, each with a different approach to paying for the needed overhaul of South Carolina's crumbling infrastructure. Elements of the various plans include raising the gas tax, the sales tax cap on cars, and driver's license fees. Some also would decrease the state income tax or offer S.C. residents exemption from the increased gas taxes.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation has estimated that upgrading state highways, bridges and public transit systems in accordance with the 2040 SC Multimodal Transportation Plan will require $1.47 billion.
"It's going to take a lot of money, of course," said Louthian, "whether the entire plan is funded or some lesser portion of it. But we can't ignore the fact that South Carolina's overall traffic fatality rate ties with West Virginia's as the highest fatality rate in the nation. And part of this is due to the deplorable condition of our highways and bridges."
TRIP (the National Transportation Research Group), a nonprofit organization concerned with surface transportation issues, released a report in January estimating that unsafe and/or deteriorating roads cost S.C. drivers $3 billion a year in extra vehicle operation costs, lost time and wasted fuel from traffic congestion and crashes.
"Add to that the expenses associated with the thousands of injuries and deaths in traffic accidents -- medical, rehabilitation, loss of productivity, funeral costs -- and then factor in the inestimable cost of pain and suffering by victims and family members, and you must conclude that something has to be done," Louthian said. "The cost of not arriving at a workable solution to the problem of our poor road conditions and dangerous bridges is going to be borne by families who live in or travel through our state."
About the Louthian Law Firm P.A.
Founded by Herb Louthian in 1959, Louthian Law is family-owned and family-focused. Offering eight decades of combined legal expertise in all facets of personal injury law, the Columbia firm represents South Carolinians who have been hurt in car, truck and motorcycle accidents. For more information, please visit http://www.louthianlaw.com.
Bert Louthian, Louthian Law Firm, P.A., http://www.louthianlaw.com/, +1 (803) 454-1200, [email protected]
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