STATE FATALITY DATA - 2023
South Carolina Road Fatality Data
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, South Carolina ranks #4 of 51 states by fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first). 1,047 traffic deaths in 2023, a rate of 19.5 per 100,000.
- 1,047
- Deaths (2023)
- 19.5
- Per 100k residents
- 1.7
- Per 100M VMT
- -47
- 2022–2023 deaths
The verdict
According to NHTSA FARS, South Carolina ranks #4 of 51 states by fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first). At 19.5 per 100k vs a U.S. rate of 12.2, it sits 60% above the national benchmark, with nighttime the largest contributing factor.
- #4 of 51
- among US states by rate
- 19.5/100k
- 2023 fatality rate
- 60% above
- vs U.S. average
- Nighttime
- leading contributing factor
FARS state milepost
Milepost SC · South Carolina #4 of 51 · 19.5/100k
South Carolina · 19.5/100k · 1,047 in 2023 · #4 of 51
- SPD 19.5/100k
- PED #4 of 51
- RUR 1.7/100M
- VS-US 9,435 book
- PHOTO near Arkansas
- YOY 41.1% spd
- FARS 15.8% ped
- NHTSA +59.7% vs US
Stamps derive from this state's NHTSA FARS row (per-100k rate, corpus rank, VMT rate, fatality book, nearest-rate peer, alcohol/speeding/pedestrian shares, vs-national gap), not a trip-risk forecast. PlainRoadSafety is informational only. See our disclaimer. Verify with NHTSA FARS → · Read with methodology → · Understanding road fatality data → · States ranked →
South Carolina rate neighbourhood
Deaths per 100,000 residents vs nearest-rate peer states (NHTSA FARS).
- Montana
Montana
18 per 100k
- Tennessee
Tennessee
19 per 100k
- Alabama
Alabama
19 per 100k
- Arkansas
Arkansas
19 per 100k
- South Carolina
South Carolina
20 per 100k
- New Mexico
New Mexico
21 per 100k
What this shows South Carolina sits among the five nearest fatality-rate peers on the per-100k scale.
Leading Causes of Fatalities
Contributing factors in South Carolina road deaths (2015-2023). Categories overlap.
- Nighttime
Nighttime
52 % of fatalities
- Unrestrained
Unrestrained
42 % of fatalities
- Speeding
Speeding
41 % of fatalities
- Alcohol-Impaired
Alcohol-Impaired
31 % of fatalities
- Weather-Related 16
Weather-Related
16 % of fatalities
- Pedestrian 16
Pedestrian
16 % of fatalities
What this shows Nighttime is the top contributing cause in South Carolina, involved in 51.5% of all road deaths. Note: categories overlap as a single crash may involve multiple factors.
South Carolina vs all states by fatality rate
Where this state's deaths-per-100k sits among every state and D.C. on PlainRoadSafety
20 Higher risk than most a lower per-capita rate than 6% of 51 states
States and D.C., banded by fatality rate per 100,000 residents
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source NHTSA FARS over Census population · 2026-08-09
Fatality Trend Analysis (2015–2023)
Between 2015 and 2023, road fatalities in South Carolina increased by 6.9%, going from 979 to 1,047 annual deaths.
| Year | Fatalities | Rate | Alcohol | Speeding | Pedestrian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 979 | 18.2 | 317 | 366 | 123 |
| 2016 | 1,020 | 19.0 | 355 | 393 | 144 |
| 2017 | 989 | 18.4 | 329 | 417 | 155 |
| 2018 | 1,036 | 19.3 | 286 | 450 | 165 |
| 2019 | 1,006 | 18.7 | 319 | 459 | 163 |
| 2020 | 1,066 | 19.8 | 377 | 496 | 188 |
| 2021 | 1,198 | 22.3 | 336 | 487 | 190 |
| 2022 | 1,094 | 20.4 | 334 | 401 | 172 |
| 2023 | 1,047 | 19.5 | 282 | 406 | 187 |
Deadliest Counties in South Carolina
46 counties ranked by total fatalities over the 2015-2023 reporting period.
| # | County | Total Fatalities | Latest Year | Avg Annual | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GREENVILLE (45) | 664 | 75 | 73.8 | ↑ increasing |
| 2 | HORRY (51) | 575 | 66 | 63.9 | ↑ increasing |
| 3 | CHARLESTON (19) | 557 | 75 | 61.9 | ↑ increasing |
| 4 | SPARTANBURG (83) | 531 | 84 | 59.0 | ↑ increasing |
| 5 | RICHLAND (79) | 477 | 60 | 53.0 | ↑ increasing |
| 6 | LEXINGTON (63) | 401 | 47 | 44.6 | ↑ increasing |
| 7 | ANDERSON (7) | 358 | 27 | 39.8 | ↑ increasing |
| 8 | BERKELEY (15) | 337 | 61 | 37.4 | ↑ increasing |
| 9 | ORANGEBURG (75) | 308 | 37 | 34.2 | ↑ increasing |
| 10 | YORK (91) | 286 | 30 | 31.8 | ↑ increasing |
| 11 | FLORENCE (41) | 283 | 30 | 31.4 | ↑ increasing |
| 12 | AIKEN (3) | 266 | 38 | 29.6 | ↑ increasing |
| 13 | LAURENS (59) | 199 | 26 | 22.1 | ↑ increasing |
| 14 | SUMTER (85) | 191 | 30 | 21.2 | ↑ increasing |
| 15 | BEAUFORT (13) | 181 | 21 | 20.1 | ↑ increasing |
| 16 | COLLETON (29) | 177 | 16 | 19.7 | ↑ increasing |
| 17 | DORCHESTER (35) | 175 | 15 | 19.4 | ↑ increasing |
| 18 | DARLINGTON (31) | 166 | 27 | 18.4 | ↑ increasing |
| 19 | PICKENS (77) | 166 | 18 | 18.4 | ↑ increasing |
| 20 | JASPER (53) | 146 | 19 | 16.2 | ↑ increasing |
Showing top 20 of 46 counties by total fatalities.
States With Similar Fatality Rates
States with fatality rates closest to South Carolina's 19.5 per 100K.
6 of 50 other states are shown here, ranked by closeness to South Carolina's fatality rate.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) - FARS Fatality Analysis Reporting System, South Carolina state-level fatalities · 2023 FARS includes all fatal motor vehicle crashes in U.S. public roadways. Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) sourced from FHWA Highway Statistics.
Source and method. PlainRoadSafety is rendered directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). PlainRoadSafety aggregates published FARS records and does not invent a fatality count the census does not report. State figures are computed directly from NHTSA FARS census data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our Editorial & Corrections Policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or Report a correction. Data current as of October 2024.