Road Safety Reports

2025-2026 Bill 4687: Road Safety Reports - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 4687
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. White, Edgerton and Magnuson
Document Path: LC-0386CM26.docx
Introduced in the House on January 13, 2026
Currently residing in the House Committee on
Education and Public Works
Summary: Road Safety Reports
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

12/16/2025

House

Prefiled

12/16/2025

House

Referred to Committee on
Education and Public Works

1/13/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 57
)

1/13/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Education and Public Works
(
House Journal-page 57
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
12/17/2025

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH
CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION
23-15-150
SO AS TO PROVIDE COUNTY
SHERIFFS SHALL SUBMIT REPORTS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IDENTIFYING
ROAD SEGMENTS THAT ARE HAZARDOUS, AND THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROVIDE APPROPRIATE
RESPONSES TO THE SHERIFFS REGARDING ROAD CLOSURES OR REPAIRS AND MAINTAIN A
DATABASE OF THE REPORTS.

W
hereas, South Carolina
has one of the highest rural road fatality rates in the nation, with hundreds
of lives lost each year due to unsafe road conditions; and

W
hereas, local law
enforcement officers are uniquely positioned to observe dangerous roadway
conditions in real time during the course of their patrols; and

W
hereas, improved
communication between county sheriffs and the South Carolina Department of
Transportation will ensure that unsafe conditions are addressed promptly; and

W
hereas, creating a
standardized reporting system will help prioritize maintenance and construction
projects based on immediate safety needs rather than political influence; and

W
hereas, it is the
responsibility of the General Assembly to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used
efficiently to improve public safety and maintain South Carolina's roads. Now,
therefore,

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
C
hapter 15, Title 23 of the S.C. Code is amended by
adding:

S
ection
23-15-150
.
(
A) In order to improve
the safety of the state highway system, each county sheriff shall submit to the
Department of Transportation a quarterly report identifying road segments
within the county that deputies have observed as unsafe, deteriorating, or hazardous
to the traveling public.

(
B)
Each road identified shall be classified into one of the following categories:

(
1)
Immediate Work Needed-a roadway or segment that presents an urgent danger to
life or property and requires the department's inspection and corrective action
within thirty days.

(
2)
Potentially Hazardous Road-a roadway or segment that shows conditions which may
become dangerous if not addressed and must be incorporated into preservation
and maintenance planning.

(
3)
Currently Dangerous-Closure Recommended-a roadway or segment that is unsafe for
travel under normal conditions, requiring immediate review and possible closure
until repairs are completed.

(
C)
Anytime a county sheriff determines that a roadway or street presents a danger
so severe that it may need to be closed, that roadway must be reported to the
department immediately.

(
D) The
department must evaluate the reported roadway within twenty-four hours of
receiving a sheriff's report. The department shall respond to the sheriff with
either:

(
1)
confirmation that the roadway will be closed until further repairs are
completed; or

(
2)
justification for keeping the roadway open, along with an immediate action plan
to address the safety concerns.

(
E)
The department shall:

(
1)
maintain a centralized database of all quarterly sheriff's reports;

(
2)
incorporate the information received into the department's project
prioritization and scoring system;

(
3)
respond in writing to each sheriff's report within forty-five days, outlining
actions taken or planned; and

(
4)
publish a quarterly summary available to the public listing the roads
identified, their classification, and the department's response.

(
F)
Each county submitting a timely quarterly report shall receive a reimbursement
of five hundred dollars from the department for administrative costs associated
with compiling and transmitting the report. All reimbursements shall be paid
from the department's existing budget. No new taxes, fees, or appropriations
are required for this program.

(
G)
If the department fails to respond within the forty-five-day period contained
in subsection (E), notification shall be sent automatically to the Governor and
to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Transportation.

S
ECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on January 13, 2026 at 2:43 PM