With a good mix of year-round residents and summertime tourists, North Myrtle Beach is one of the busiest communities on the South Carolina coast. Hugging the Atlantic Ocean coastline, North Myrtle Beach has a few main roads that residents and visitors use to get around, including Highway 17, a primary thoroughfare that runs the length of North Myrtle Beach.
Serving as the highway in and out of North Myrtle Beach and lined with shopping malls, restaurants, and commercial outlets, Highway 17 sees a lot of traffic. Unfortunately, heavy traffic also means the potential for more motor vehicle accidents.
If you have been injured in a traffic accident on Highway 17 in North Myrtle Beach due to someone else’s carelessness or recklessness, you could be owed compensation for your injuries.
For more than five decades, the personal injury lawyers of Jebaily Law Firm have fought for injured accident victims throughout South Carolina. Our attorneys have over 100 years of combined legal experience handling all kinds of motor vehicle accident claims. Our firm is focused not only on standing up for our client’s rights and helping them secure physical, mental, and financial recovery after an accident, but also on advocating to improve the safety of our community.
Contact the North Myrtle Beach car accident attorneys at Jebaily Law Firm for a free initial case evaluation. We’ll review the steps you can take to pursue fair and full compensation for the injuries and losses you suffered due to another driver’s negligence.
Where Is Highway 17 Located?
Highway 17, also known as U.S. Highway 17 or North Kings Highway, is the primary highway that runs through North Myrtle Beach. After running south from the state border between North Carolina and South Carolina, Highway 17 swings over the Intracoastal Waterway into North Myrtle Beach. Highway 17 then runs largely parallel between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean down the length of North Myrtle Beach, continuing southward along the coastline toward Myrtle Beach.
When Is Traffic Heaviest on Highway 17 in North Myrtle Beach?
As one of the primary thoroughfares through North Myrtle Beach, traffic is heaviest on Highway 17 during normal rush hour periods of 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The evening rush hour is considered to have noticeably heavier traffic.
In addition to regular rush hour traffic, because North Myrtle Beach serves as a popular summer vacation destination, traffic on Highway 17 becomes especially heavy during the summer months of June, July, August, and early September. With tourists and visitors trying to get to North Myrtle Beach’s beachfront area, Highway 17, located just a couple of blocks away from the Atlantic Ocean, can become busy throughout the day in the summertime.
Traffic Updates
Highway 17 is undergoing alternate lane closures in June 2021 to accommodate night work for road construction and improvements. The affected stretch of highway runs from 6th Avenue to Old Highway 17.
Construction is also being performed on Graystone Boulevard near Highway 17.
How Different Factors Contribute to Accidents on Highway 17 in North Myrtle Beach
As a vacation destination, driving in North Myrtle Beach can expose motorists to certain factors more likely to cause a crash here than in other locales. Some of the most common causes of accidents in North Myrtle Beach and on Highway 17 include:
- Speeding – Some motorists choose to drive faster than the posted speed limit or faster than would be considered safe for the road conditions at the time. A speeding driver not only has less time to react in an emergency but with their additional speed, can cause a much more violent collision.
- Distracted driving – Prone to heavy traffic, Highway 17 can see a lot of distracted driving, including motorists on their cell phones, eating or drinking, reaching around in their vehicle, or grooming or applying makeup in their mirror. A driver who takes their eyes off the highway for even just a few seconds can travel hundreds of feet without paying attention to the road.
- Tourists unfamiliar with the area – Unfortunately, tourists and visitors to North Myrtle Beach are involved in many accidents. Tourists may not be familiar with traffic patterns on Highway 17 and other roads in North Myrtle Beach, or they may be focused on their phone or GPS as they try to navigate to their destination.
- Traffic law violations – Violating traffic laws puts not only the violator but everyone else on the road at risk for an accident. Common violations that cause crashes include tailgating, changing lanes or turning without signaling or engaging in reckless driving behaviors like swerving around heavy traffic.
- Fatigue – Drivers feeling fatigued may experience impairment of their perception, judgment, and reaction time. Fatigue also puts drivers at risk of falling asleep or experiencing microsleep behind the wheel.
- Alcohol or drugs – While many people come to North Myrtle Beach to relax and have a good time, consuming drugs or alcohol renders a person unsafe to operate a motor vehicle.
- Brake or steering failure – Deferred maintenance or defective parts can result in a vehicle suffering a braking or steering failure, which will cause a driver to lose control of their car while in motion.
- Tire blowouts – Old, damaged, or worn tires pose a serious risk of suffering a blowout, whether an explosive loss of pressure or tread separation, which can cause a vehicle to spin out of control.
- Road conditions – Broken pavement, potholes, and road construction zones can all trigger an accident.
- Weather conditions – Adverse weather, such as heavy rain or fog, can increase the risk of an accident by making roads more slippery or reducing visibility for drivers.
Contact a North Myrtle Beach Car Accident Lawyer Today
If you have been injured in a car accident on Highway 17 in North Myrtle Beach due to another driver’s carelessness or recklessness behind the wheel, you deserve to seek financial compensation and justice. Contact a North Myrtle Beach car accident lawyer from Jebaily Law Firm today for a free consultation.
