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SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Orangeburg Road is just one of several roads in Dorchester County that residents say is deadly traffic nightmare.
“It’s crazy. It’s just crazy,” Summerville resident Scot McLauchlin says.
McLauchlin lives on the road and says he’s lost several mailboxes because of drivers speeding and not paying attention. He says he’s lost as many as five in just one month.
“We’ve been here a long time. It used to be a little small place. A few houses on the side of the road,” McLauchlin, a 30-year resident of the area, says. “Raising our children, I wouldn’t let them check the mailbox, my wife either because of the fact that you can’t avoid an accident.”
The growth in and around Dorchester County takes the blame from many residents who are upset about car accidents in the Tri-County area.
But it’s not just the car crashes that are a problem on Orangeburg Road but the bumper-to-bumper traffic during and outside of rush hour.
“I’ve seen ambulances, firetrucks get stuck in this. I just think something needs to be done. How many more times do we have to say anything?” McLauchlin says.
McLauchlin says he’s reached out to SCDOT and Dorchester County several times and has not gotten any answers or help.
“People have been hit. Children are walking. I see bicycles all the time, and it’s just out of hand. You know, even when there is traffic, you’ll see people try to skirt and go around and it’s crazy, it’s just crazy,” McLauchlin says.
The most recent data from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety states there have been more than 60 collisions in 2021; 97 incidents in 2020, one being fatal; and 127 crashes in 2019.
McLauchlin’s multiple mailboxes are also included in those numbers. He says he’s witnessed cars going nearly double the speed limit.
The SCDOT has not yet responded to a request for information on whether a traffic study has been conducted. Such a study can help determine what types of solutions -- like stop lights, road widening or even a stop sign -- could help.
Dangerous intersection? Pothole problems? Endless construction? Tell us about the traffic nightmare that’s driving you crazy here and we may send Live 5 First Alert Traffic Reporter Cameron Bopp out to get you answers.
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