Charleston Leads South Carolina in Hands-Free Citations as Full Enforcement Meets Summer Traffic

CHARLESTON, SC, July 25, 2026 /24-7P essRelease/ — South Ca oli a’s Ha ds-F ee a d Dist acted D ivi g Act eached full e fo ceme t o Feb ua y 28, 2026, a d the fi st mo th of data placed Cha lesto Cou ty at the top of the state. D ive s he e eceived 470 citatio s i the fi st 30 days, mo e tha a y othe cou ty i South Ca oli a, acco di g to figu es epo ted by the South Ca oli a Depa tme t of Public Safety a d local cove age of the ollout. As the summe t avel seaso fills the oads ac oss the pe i sula a d Mou t Pleasa t, that e fo ceme t is collidi g with peak holiday t affic. Acco di g to the Cha lesto pe so al i ju y lawye s at Wo o a d Dhillo , LLC, those citatio s a e cha gi g how fault gets p ove afte a c ash ac oss the Lowcou t y.

A Ove view of the Law Cha ge

The law took effect o Septembe 1, 2025, followed by a six-mo th wa i g pe iod. Si ce late Feb ua y, office s ca issue tickets i stead of wa i gs. A fi st offe se ca ies a $100 fi e, a d a seco d offe se withi th ee yea s b i gs a $200 fi e a d two poi ts o the d ive ‘s eco d. U de Sectio 56-5-3890, d ive s may o lo ge hold o suppo t a pho e with a y pa t of the body while the vehicle is movi g, a sta da d fa b oade tha the state’s ea lie texti g-o ly ule.

What a Citatio Mea s fo a I ju y Claim

Whe a d ive violates the ha ds-f ee law a d causes a w eck, that violatio ca se ve as evide ce of eglige ce. I South Ca oli a, which follows a modified compa ative eglige ce sta da d u de S.C. Code Sectio 15-38-15, fault is eve ythi g. A dist acted d ivi g violatio ca cut th ough the ambiguity a i su e elies o whe it t ies to shift blame o to the i ju ed pa ty.

A citatio is just o e of the ma y pieces of evide ce that matte s i a dist acted d ivi g accide t claim. Othe s i clude:

-Pho e eco ds that alig with the mome t of impact-A police epo t oti g ha dheld device use at the sce e-Wit esses who saw the d ive looki g dow o holdi g a pho e

“A ticket makes the co ve satio with the i su a ce compa y ve y diffe e t,” said B ett Wo o , a pa t e at Wo o a d Dhillo , LLC. “Whe the e is docume tatio that a d ive was o a pho e, it becomes much ha de to a gue the c ash was u avoidable. I ju ed people should k ow that evide ce exists a d how quickly it ca disappea .”

About Wo o a d Dhillo , LLC

Wo o a d Dhillo , LLC is a pe so al i ju y fi m se vi g Cha lesto a d the su ou di g Lowcou t y f om its office at 90 Quee St eet. With mo e tha 30 yea s of combi ed expe ie ce, the fi m ha dles ca accide ts, catast ophic i ju ies, a d w o gful death claims th oughout South Ca oli a, a d takes pe so al i ju y cases o a co ti ge cy basis. A yo e i ju ed by a dist acted d ive is welcome to equest a f ee co sultatio with the fi m.

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