How time of year impacts number of traffic accidents in Spartanburg

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – It’s been a busy summer for the roads in the Upstate and the amount of traffic collisions are tied to the time of year.

In Spartanburg there were 14 wrecks in a 24-hour time period over the weekend but that number may not be as high as you think because it all depends on the month.

In the summer roads are filled with vacationers, work zones, and people heading to events.

“People are out, school just started back, and so some people are shopping, trying to get school supplies. Some people are still on vacation,” Art Littlejohn, with the Spartanburg Police Department said.

As the roads get busier, accidents are not uncommon.

“Of course, when there is more traffic there is more collisions,” Littlejohn said. “In January, February when it’s cold in the colder months people are inside then we may not have as many collisions.”

But in a month like August there are more. Littlejohn said in July there were 307 wrecks, averaging to about 10 per day which is pretty common for the time of year.

“When you look at the map you can see where the most collisions are occurring is where there are shopping and restaurants,” he said.

And often times its a result of a distracted driver.

“People who are just not paying attention are causing the collisions, so we are asking people to slow down and most importantly put your phone down,” Littlejohn said.

Making it important to keep your eyes on the road especially as Spartanburg grows.

“As our population continues to grow well see more collisions and it is a responsibility for the drivers to pay attention and slow down, most importantly put your phone down because many of the accidents are a result of speed, going to fast or inattentiveness not paying attention while you’re driving,” said Littlejohn.

There is also an uptick in accidents during the holiday months when people are doing their Christmas shopping.

The Spartanburg Police Department said that most of the accidents that occur are minor crashes. But the biggest indicator when they occur is the time of day, the most happen on Friday around 5pm.