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Fatal car crashes in South Carolina, county by county

From 2020 through 2024, 5,443 people died in 5,019 crashes on South Carolina roads. That is 19.9 deaths a year for every 100,000 residents, above the US rate of 12.1, and the 5th highest rate of the 50 states and DC.

Greenville County had the most deaths (447). The road stretch with the most fatal crashes was US-17 (S Kings Hwy) in Horry County (67). In 2024, 1,038 people were killed, 3% fewer than in 2020.

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020-2024 · checked October 2, 2026

5,443

people killed in crashes, 2020-2024

19.9

deaths a year per 100,000 residents, 5th highest of 51 (US 12.1)

893

pedestrians killed, 16% of deaths (US 18%)

40%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related (US 28%)

Death rate by county

Deaths a year per 100,000 residents, 2020-2024. Rural counties often rank highest: fewer people, faster roads and longer waits for an ambulance.

Abbeville County: 21.1 per 100,000 a year, 26 deathsAiken County: 18.3 per 100,000 a year, 164 deathsAllendale County: 31.8 per 100,000 a year, 12 deathsAnderson County: 20.3 per 100,000 a year, 220 deathsBamberg County: 26.4 per 100,000 a year, 17 deathsBarnwell County: 24.4 per 100,000 a year, 25 deathsBeaufort County: 11.5 per 100,000 a year, 116 deathsBerkeley County: 18.2 per 100,000 a year, 240 deathsCalhoun County: 42.1 per 100,000 a year, 30 deathsCharleston County: 16.2 per 100,000 a year, 350 deathsCherokee County: 29.4 per 100,000 a year, 85 deathsChester County: 40.8 per 100,000 a year, 66 deathsChesterfield County: 23.8 per 100,000 a year, 53 deathsClarendon County: 38 per 100,000 a year, 59 deathsColleton County: 58.1 per 100,000 a year, 114 deathsDarlington County: 33.6 per 100,000 a year, 105 deathsDillon County: 47.9 per 100,000 a year, 66 deathsDorchester County: 14.1 per 100,000 a year, 123 deathsEdgefield County: 20.4 per 100,000 a year, 30 deathsFairfield County: 59.9 per 100,000 a year, 61 deathsFlorence County: 24.6 per 100,000 a year, 170 deathsGeorgetown County: 25.4 per 100,000 a year, 84 deathsGreenville County: 15.7 per 100,000 a year, 447 deathsGreenwood County: 18.6 per 100,000 a year, 65 deathsHampton County: 46.2 per 100,000 a year, 42 deathsHorry County: 16.8 per 100,000 a year, 347 deathsJasper County: 53.9 per 100,000 a year, 96 deathsKershaw County: 22.3 per 100,000 a year, 80 deathsLancaster County: 15.9 per 100,000 a year, 89 deathsLaurens County: 31.5 per 100,000 a year, 111 deathsLee County: 40.1 per 100,000 a year, 32 deathsLexington County: 15.6 per 100,000 a year, 244 deathsMcCormick County: 28 per 100,000 a year, 14 deathsMarion County: 36.7 per 100,000 a year, 52 deathsMarlboro County: 47.1 per 100,000 a year, 60 deathsNewberry County: 29.1 per 100,000 a year, 57 deathsOconee County: 16.2 per 100,000 a year, 67 deathsOrangeburg County: 51.7 per 100,000 a year, 215 deathsPickens County: 15.2 per 100,000 a year, 105 deathsRichland County: 14.8 per 100,000 a year, 319 deathsSaluda County: 28.8 per 100,000 a year, 28 deathsSpartanburg County: 19.2 per 100,000 a year, 355 deathsSumter County: 26.5 per 100,000 a year, 139 deathsUnion County: 30 per 100,000 a year, 40 deathsWilliamsburg County: 34.8 per 100,000 a year, 52 deathsYork County: 11.3 per 100,000 a year, 171 deaths
under 1010-1515-2020-3030+ too few crashes

The most dangerous roads in South Carolina

Fatal crashes by road within each county, 2020-2024. A long interstate shows up once per county it crosses.

#RoadWhereFatal crashesDeaths
1 US-17 S Kings Hwy Horry County, SC 67 71
2 US-25 Augusta Rd Greenville County, SC 60 63
3 US-17 Hwy 17 Charleston County, SC 50 55
4 US-501 Hwy 501 Horry County, SC 36 37
5 US-52 Hwy 52 Berkeley County, SC 32 32
6 US-52 Rivers Ave Charleston County, SC 29 32
7 US-17 Ocean Hwy Georgetown County, SC 28 29
8 I-77 Richland County, SC 28 29
9 US-17 Alt Berkeley County, SC 27 32
10 US-29 E Main Street Spartanburg County, SC 26 32
11 US-221 Chesnee Hwy Spartanburg County, SC 26 30
12 US-278 Fording Island Rd Beaufort County, SC 25 28
13 US-301 Five Chop Rd Orangeburg County, SC 25 28
14 US-276 Poinsett Hwy Greenville County, SC 25 26
15 US-29 Wade Hampton Blvd Greenville County, SC 25 26

Deaths by year

Every South Carolina county

46 counties with 10 or more fatal crashes in five years, by deaths.

CountyDeaths 2020-24Per 100K a yearPedestriansPopulation
Greenville County 447 15.7 89 570,745
Spartanburg County 355 19.2 53 369,256
Charleston County 350 16.2 92 431,001
Horry County 347 16.8 86 413,391
Richland County 319 14.8 80 430,651
Lexington County 244 15.6 42 313,774
Berkeley County 240 18.2 44 264,276
Anderson County 220 20.3 31 217,183
Orangeburg County 215 51.7 22 83,129
York County 171 11.3 25 303,001
Florence County 170 24.6 37 138,049
Aiken County 164 18.3 27 179,245
Sumter County 139 26.5 19 104,776
Dorchester County 123 14.1 18 174,663
Beaufort County 116 11.5 26 201,775
Colleton County 114 58.1 8 39,259
Laurens County 111 31.5 13 70,545
Darlington County 105 33.6 12 62,425
Pickens County 105 15.2 10 138,207
Jasper County 96 53.9 9 35,618
Lancaster County 89 15.9 12 111,652
Cherokee County 85 29.4 9 57,770
Georgetown County 84 25.4 9 66,035
Kershaw County 80 22.3 8 71,698
Oconee County 67 16.2 7 82,475
Chester County 66 40.8 9 32,323
Dillon County 66 47.9 8 27,577
Greenwood County 65 18.6 13 70,041
Fairfield County 61 59.9 5 20,369
Marlboro County 60 47.1 6 25,498
Clarendon County 59 38.0 7 31,030
Newberry County 57 29.1 5 39,203
Chesterfield County 53 23.8 5 44,488
Marion County 52 36.7 10 28,368
Williamsburg County 52 34.8 9 29,865
Hampton County 42 46.2 6 18,172
Union County 40 30.0 3 26,678
Lee County 32 40.1 2 15,958
Calhoun County 30 42.1 5 14,249
Edgefield County 30 20.4 3 29,455
Saluda County 28 28.8 1 19,452
Abbeville County 26 21.1 1 24,607
Barnwell County 25 24.4 2 20,495
Bamberg County 17 26.4 1 12,870
McCormick County 14 28.0 1 9,983
Allendale County 12 31.8 3 7,551

What was involved

FactorSouth CarolinaShareUS
Speeding was a factor
a driver coded by police as speeding, racing or too fast for conditions		 1,988 40% 28%
A driver had been drinking
police reported alcohol involvement for at least one driver		 1,649 33% 26%
A large truck was involved
a truck over 10,000 lbs		 597 12% 13%
Hit-and-run
a driver left the scene		 223 4% 7%
Pedestrians killed
share of all deaths		 893 16% 18%
Motorcyclists killed
share of all deaths		 797 15% 15%
Bicyclists killed
share of all deaths		 121 2% 3%
Teens (15-19) killed
share of all deaths		 330 6% 7%

After a crash in South Carolina

  1. Get the crash report

    Local police and sheriffs may release their own reports on a written request stating the requester's name, address and intended use (S.C. Code 56-5-1275), but SCDPS says requests for the TR-310 collision report must be made through SCDMV.

    How to get a South Carolina crash report

  2. Know your deadline

    South Carolina gives you three years to file a personal injury lawsuit (S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530(5)). If a city, county or state vehicle was involved: Under the Tort Claims Act, filing a verified claim with the State or political subdivision is optional, but if filed it must be received within one year after the loss was or should have been discovered; a lawsuit must be commenced within two years (three years if a claim was first filed).

    Work out your date

  3. Who pays

    South Carolina is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.

    South Carolina car accident laws

  4. If you were partly at fault

    You can recover if your negligence is not greater than the defendant's (50% or less), reduced by your share; if you are more than 50% at fault you recover nothing (rule set by the state supreme court in Nelson v. Concrete Supply, not a statute).

    The rule and its statute

  5. The other driver’s minimum coverage

    The legal minimum liability coverage in South Carolina is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $25,000 for property (25/50/25).

    Every state’s minimums

Check your deadline and a rough claim range

A filing date and a rough value range for South Carolina. Both take under a minute.

Check my deadline Estimate my claim