Counties with the most motor vehicle accident fatalities in South Carolina

Driving is a way of life for most Americans, and we're hitting the road more than ever. In 2024, people drove 3.28 trillion miles, an all-time high. However, the more people drive, the more opportunities there are for getting into a vehicle accident.

Nationwide, there were about 6.15 million police-reported traffic crashes in 2023, a small percentage of which resulted in fatalities. In 2023, there were 37,654 fatal crashes, resulting in 40,901 deaths. More simply put, that's 1.26 fatalities for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

The number of accidents and fatalities has trended downward after a COVID-19 pandemic spike. Yet, the fatality rate is still relatively high compared to a decade earlier. In 2014, there were just 1.08 fatalities per 100 million miles, the lowest rate in the last 30 years.

Speeding, impaired driving, distractions, and not wearing seatbelts all contribute to unfortunate deaths. Day and time can also be a factor. More fatal crashes happen during the weekend, especially at night. The wee hours of Sunday morning, Saturday night, and Friday night are the three worst times of day for fatal crashes. Where you're driving can also be a factor in the likelihood of being involved in a crash.

Citing data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Stacker identified the counties in South Carolina that had the most fatalities from motor vehicle crashes in 2023, the latest year for which data was available. The number of accident fatalities is ranked by the number of deaths per 100,000 people, with the raw number functioning as a tiebreaker. The analysis only looked at counties with at least five deaths during 2023. Additional data is included on pedestrian, bicyclist, and drunk-driving-related deaths. In counties where at least five fatalities happened on the same street or interstate, the road with the most deaths is also included.

Read on to see the counties with the most fatal traffic accidents in South Carolina.

#25. Newberry County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 23.1 per 100K people (9 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 1 bicyclist death
- 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#24. Spartanburg County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 23.4 per 100K people (84 deaths)
- 14 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 30 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Roads with most fatalities: I-26, I-85 (7 fatalities each)

#23. Berkeley County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 23.8 per 100K people (61 deaths)
- 17 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 26 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Road with most fatalities: SR-62 COLLEGE PARK RD (6 fatalities)

#22. Barnwell County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 24.5 per 100K people (5 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 2 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#21. Cherokee County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 24.6 per 100K people (14 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 5 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Road with most fatalities: I-85 (5 fatalities)

#20. Union County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 26.2 per 100K people (7 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 2 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#19. Williamsburg County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 26.6 per 100K people (8 deaths)
- 3 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#18. Hampton County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 27.5 per 100K people (5 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 2 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#17. Sumter County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 28.7 per 100K people (30 deaths)
- 2 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 10 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#16. Saluda County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 31.1 per 100K people (6 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 2 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#15. Lee County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 31.4 per 100K people (5 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 2 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#14. Georgetown County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 31.9 per 100K people (21 deaths)
- 5 pedestrian deaths
- 2 bicyclist deaths
- 8 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Road with most fatalities: US-17 OCEAN HWY (7 fatalities)

#13. Chester County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 34.2 per 100K people (11 deaths)
- 2 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#12. Laurens County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 37.6 per 100K people (26 deaths)
- 4 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 12 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#11. Marlboro County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 38.8 per 100K people (10 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#10. Colleton County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 41.0 per 100K people (16 deaths)
- 3 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 6 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Road with most fatalities: I-95 (5 fatalities)

#9. Dillon County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 43.3 per 100K people (12 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Roads with most fatalities: I-95, US-301 HWY 301 (5 fatalities each)

#8. Darlington County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 43.3 per 100K people (27 deaths)
- 5 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 7 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#7. Orangeburg County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 44.5 per 100K people (37 deaths)
- 9 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 18 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Road with most fatalities: US-301 FIVE CHOP RD (7 fatalities)

#6. Marion County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 45.6 per 100K people (13 deaths)
- 2 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#5. Bamberg County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 46.2 per 100K people (6 deaths)
- 2 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 0 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#4. Calhoun County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 49.3 per 100K people (7 deaths)
- 2 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#3. Clarendon County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 51.4 per 100K people (16 deaths)
- 5 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 2 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#2. Jasper County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 56.5 per 100K people (19 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 11 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#1. Fairfield County, South Carolina
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 73.6 per 100K people (15 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

This story features data reporting and writing by Wade Zhou and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.