Greenville crash data and corridors
“Most dangerous road” lists are everywhere. This page sticks to official numbers: the S.C. Department of Public Safety's 2024 county crash summary and road safety assessments built on SCDOT data.
Top crash roadways, 2024
The SCDPS 2024 Traffic Collision Fact Book lists Greenville County's five roadways with the most collisions:
| Roadway | Total collisions | Fatal collisions | Serious-injury collisions | People killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US-25 | 1,152 | 11 | 23 | 12 |
| I-85 | 1,143 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| US-276 | 974 | 7 | 15 | 7 |
| US-29 | 827 | 1 | 12 | 2 |
| SC-291 | 712 | 5 | 12 | 5 |
US-25 stood out in 2024: it had both the most collisions and the most fatal collisions of the five.
Top crash intersections, 2024
| Intersection (as listed) | Total collisions | Injury collisions (serious + other) |
|---|---|---|
| I-85 at S-492 | 277 | 31 |
| I-85 at US-276 | 108 | 19 |
| SC-146 at I-385 | 99 | 15 |
| S-55 at S-453 | 95 | 17 |
| I-85 at SC-146 | 90 | 19 |
No fatal collisions were recorded at these five intersections in 2024. Three of the five involve I-85 or I-385 interchanges, and SC-146 is Woodruff Road. The fact book identifies roads by route number ("S-" numbers are secondary state routes). We haven't added street names that the source doesn't give.
When and where crashes happen
- Time of day: collisions peaked from 3:01 to 6:00 p.m. (4,322). Fatal collisions peaked from 6:01 to 9:00 p.m. (21), and the overnight hours from midnight to 6 a.m. had 21 fatal collisions despite far less traffic (2024 Fact Book).
- Road type: secondary routes had the most collisions (5,323) and the most fatal collisions (27), followed by SC primary routes (3,744; 20 fatal) and US primary routes (3,323; 20 fatal). Interstates had 1,777 collisions and 9 fatal collisions (same source).
- Statewide context: Greenville County had the most total collisions (16,478) and the most fatal collisions (82) of any South Carolina county in 2024 (same source).
What officers say caused them
Driving too fast for conditions (4,008 listings) and failing to yield the right of way (3,593) were the most common contributing factors on Greenville County crash reports in 2024, followed by improper lane usage or lane changes (1,950) (2024 Fact Book). How these factors play into fault is covered in car wrecks.
Impaired driving trend
| Year | Est. fatalities involving a driver at .08+ BAC | Non-fatal DUI collisions |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 23 | 620 |
| 2021 | 33 | 662 |
| 2022 | 40 | 499 |
| 2023 | 35 | 528 |
| 2024 (fatalities preliminary) | 40 | 531 |
Source: NHTSA estimates and state DUI collision counts reproduced in the SCDPS 2024 Fact Book, Part IV.
Woodruff Road (SC 146) study
An August 2017 road safety assessment for the Greenville-Pickens Area Transportation Study (GPATS) covered SC 146 from just west of Roper Mountain Road/Verdae Boulevard to Paddock Club Drive. That is a five-lane arterial with access to I-85 and I-385 (GPATS SC 146 Road Safety Assessment). Using SCDOT data for January 2010 through December 2014, it found:
- 2,325 reported crashes in the studied section;
- rear-end crashes most common (1,302, or 56%), then angle (807, 35%) and sideswipe (138, 6%);
- 14% involved injury, and one crash was fatal;
- crashes peaked in the afternoon, with Friday the highest day.
The same corridor's interchanges still appear in the 2024 top-intersection list (SC-146 at I-385, I-85 at SC-146).
Wade Hampton Boulevard (US 29) study
A January 2024 GPATS assessment covered a 0.8-mile, seven-lane divided section of US 29 between East Lee Road and Watson Road near Taylors (GPATS US 29 Road Safety Assessment). With SCDOT data for 2018–2022, it found 311 crashes, five of them fatal. Angle crashes were the most common type (140, 45%), followed by rear-end crashes (97, 31%), and there were nine pedestrian crashes. Its recommendations included concrete medians and sidewalks on both sides of the road. US-29 was also among the county's top five crash roadways in 2024 (827 collisions). See pedestrian crashes.
How to read these numbers
- The fact book's roadway and intersection rankings rely on the route numbers and street names officers write on reports, and it notes that naming differences can affect the totals.
- Busy roads have more crashes partly because they carry more traffic. Collision counts are not crash rates.
- The GPATS studies cover specific segments and years, and conditions may have changed since.
- None of this decides fault in any individual crash; that depends on the facts of each case.
Contributing factors by crash severity
| Factor | Fatal | Serious injury | Other injury | Property damage only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Too fast for conditions | 11 | 49 | 789 | 3,159 |
| Failed to yield right of way | 8 | 46 | 954 | 2,585 |
| Improper lane usage/change | 1 | 11 | 148 | 1,790 |
| Other improper driver action | 2 | 4 | 125 | 1,109 |
| Unknown driver factor | 1 | 4 | 147 | 1,019 |
Failure to yield appeared on more injury collisions (954 other-injury, 46 serious-injury) than speeding did, even though speeding was listed more often overall (2024 Fact Book).
Who gets hurt
| Road user | Total victims | Suspected serious injury | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorcyclists | 240 | 40 | 10 |
| Pedestrians | 141 | 28 | 22 |
| Bicyclists | 43 | 5 | 4 |
| Moped operators | 38 | 4 | 1 |
Restraint use also stands out. Of 397 vehicle occupants recorded as using no restraint, 26 were killed. Of 34,417 restrained occupants, 27 were killed (2024 Fact Book, Greenville County).
2023 vs. 2024
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled | 1.528 | 1.858 |
| Deaths per 100,000 population | 13.4 | 16.4 |
| Estimated economic loss | $523,844,600 | $562,486,400 |
| Vehicle miles traveled (SCDOT) | 4.91 billion | 5.06 billion |
Source: SCDPS 2024 Fact Book. Greenville County ranked first among South Carolina's 46 counties for total and fatal collisions in both years, and second for serious-injury collisions.