May 20, 2013

SC Senate takes up possible increase in gas tax, car fees, to pay for road repairs

State senators say they are seriously considering a new proposal to fund badly-needed repairs to South Carolina’s aging roads and bridges— but it would cost drivers more to cover them.

Rebar is visible along a bridge in Fort Lawn

Rebar is visible along a bridge in Fort Lawn (FILE)

The proposal passed by the Senate Finance Committee raises the biennial registration fees for passenger vehicles from $24 to $36. Drivers would also have to pay more for licenses, from $25 to $35. It would also charge additional fees on alternative vehicles like hybrids and electric-powered cars. The legislation would have the state borrow up to $1.3 billion through bonds.

Perhaps most significantly, it would tie South Carolina’s 16-cent per-gallon gas tax to the Consumer Price Index (theoretically adjusting it for inflation each year). Under that formula, the gas tax is expected to rise by 4 cents over the next 10 years, raising $135 million in additional funds.

The state’s gas tax has remained at 16 cents for nearly 26 years. Had South Carolina indexed the gas tax to inflation in 1987, a Bureau of Labor Statistics formula estimates drivers would now be paying 33 cents per gallon.

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Driving costs dip for SC motorists, although maintenance costs rise

The annual average costs to own and operate a sedan in the USA, based on 15,000 miles of driving per year, are predicted to rise 1.9%, according to AAA. The motor club released its 2012 “Your Driving Costs” study Tuesday.cars

However, there is good news for drivers in the Palmetto State as— for the first time in four years— South Carolina motorists will pay lower annual driving costs than the previous year. AAA Carolinas spokeswoman Angela Vogel Daley says South Carolina’s gas prices are about 40 to 45 cents lower than at this time last year (currently $3.22 for regular unleaded). Also helping are improved fuel economy of new vehicles and lower insurance costs.

However, Daley points out that maintenance costs are up 11 percent from a year ago. “That’s really the biggest factor that went up this year compared to last year. We know that people are holding on to their vehicles longer. The average age of a car in America right now is between 11 and 12 years old, so we are seeing maintenance costs go up.”

Based on current prices, the owner of an average sedan in the state can expect to pay $9,198 in 2013 to drive, compared to $10,050 last year. The total costs include insurance, maintenance, gasoline, tires, taxes, registration, depreciation and finance charges, based on driving 15,000 miles a year.

Daley says there is a rise in costs to two important components associated with keeping vehicles longer. We have seen the costs in labor and parts, as well as the cost of extended warranties go up compared to last year.”

Daley says there has been a rise in the purchase of extended warranty packages as people have elected to keep their existing vehicles longer.

With tire manufactures Michelin, Bridgestone, and Continental expanding in the state, Daley says South Carolina motorists should enjoy less than national average tire prices. “Our maintenance and out tire numbers are based on the national numbers, but I would say that in South Carolina when you see so many tire manufacturers in the state, you can expect those costs to be lower than the national average because there is less costs from distribution and more competition.”

South Carolina, with daily production of 84,000 tires, today is second only to Oklahoma as the biggest tire producing state in the nation, according to the trade publication Tire Business.

Sequester won’t affect Charleston harbor dredging study, commander says

Port-of-Charleston

FILE

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it is on schedule as the agency nearly reaches the halfway point for a feasibility study into deepening the Charleston harbor.

“The bottom line is that we’re on track to still complete the study by September 2015,” Lt. Colonel Ed Chamberlayne, who leads the Corps’ Charleston district, said, “We’re still operating within our budget of something less than $13 million.”

He said officials hope to draft their recommendation by summer 2014. That recommendation would then be published in the summer and undergo a year of public scrutiny before being finalized in September 2015.

South Carolina and the federal government have entered a cost-sharing agreement for both the study and the dredging that would follow. South Carolina’s legislature also set aside $300 million in a reserve fund in case the federal money does not come through. Officials hope to complete the entire project by 2020 under the current schedule.

Chamberlayne said the study will not be affected by the upcoming sequester cuts expected at the Defense Department this summer because it is classified as a “public works” project.

Both the Corps and South Carolina ports officials are requesting the harbor deepening in order to handle new, larger container ships that are beginning to arrive on the East Coast. The harbor is currently 45 feet deep, but ports officials want to dredge down to 50 feet. The feasibility study is considering the environmental impact and cost, along with any alternative plans.

Senate panel holds off on texting ban until at least 2014

A South Carolina Senate panel says it will wait until next year before taking up a proposed ban on texting while driving. A majority of members in both the House and Senate have supported a ban on texting behind the wheel for several years now, but failed in their efforts to make it law.

Sens. Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington) and Shane Massey (R-Edgefield) listen to SC Law Enforcement Officers Association speak in favor of the ban

Sens. Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington) and Shane Massey (R-Edgefield) listen to SC Law Enforcement Officers Association speak in favor of the ban

Knowing that the Senate would likely have to pass the bill by May 1 for it to become law this year, senators said Wednesday that they will instead focus on crafting an improved version for 2014.

S.416 is sponsored by Sen. Thomas Alexander (R-Walhalla). As written now, the bill would not allow a person to drive a vehicle while using a “wireless telecommunications device” to “write, send, or read a text-based communication.” Alexander said that would cover cell phones, PDAs, tablets, and other small computers.

Alexander said he does not want to infringe on individual rights, but believes it’s a public safety issue. “With texting, you have the potential of hurting a lot of other individuals,” he told a Senate judiciary subcommittee.

Texting while driving has been a controversial issue at the Statehouse for several years now. The House has passed several different bills that would have banned the practice, but those bills never came up for a vote in the Senate. Earlier this year, another similar House version was taken off the floor and sent back to committee.

Opponents of the idea often question why lawmakers target texting and not using a cell phone or other forms of distracted driving. Sen. Shane Massey (R-Edgefield), who chaired Wednesday’s meeting, said he wanted to address those concerns before trying to advance the proposal.

Massey said he favors a texting ban to help lower the number of people killed on the state’s highways.

The state Department of Public Safety has been keeping track of the number of highway crashes attributed to cell phone use since 2010. However, a DPS statistician told South Carolina Radio Network that the numbers are not considered reliable because they require a driver to admit he was texting or multiple witnesses.

39 other states currently ban texting while driving. 10 states do not allow cell phones, unless on a hands-free device.

SCDPS: Zero highway deaths over past weekend

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety says  preliminary reports show no traffic fatalities occurred on South Carolina highways from Friday, April 19, at 6 p.m. until Sunday, April 21, at midnight. As of April 21, 185 people have died on South Carolina highways, compared to 245 highway deaths during the same time period in 2012. Of the 133 motor vehicle occupants who have died in 2013, 85 were not wearing seat belts.Through midnight April 21, 24 pedestrians, 23 motorcyclists and three bicyclists have died on state roads and highways.