States › Kansas › Routes › US Route 56
US Route 56
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 69Deaths 83Counties 16Latest data year 2024
FARS data are based on police crash reports and other sources; the drunk-driving measure is based on the highest BAC of any driver in the crash. Latest data year: 2024. The route is the trafficway recorded for each crash (FARS TWAY_ID); the same route number in another state has its own page.
US Route 56 in Kansas was the trafficway in 69 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 83 people died.
That is 1.9% of the 3,631 fatal crashes in Kansas over the same years. The ten-year crash count fell 21% from 87 in 2005–2014 to 69 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in McPherson County (10), Marion County (9) and Gray County (7) and 13 other counties.
23.2% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Kansas: 22.5%) and 20.3% had a speeding-related driver (24.2%); pedestrians were 2.4% and motorcyclists 4.8% of those killed.
Fatal crashes per year
Route identification in FARS is consistent from 2000; earlier years are not shown. Shaded band: the ten-year window used for the shares below.
Compared with all fatal crashes in Kansas
| Measure | US Route 56 | Kansas |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 69 | 3,631 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 83 | 4,045 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 1.9% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | -21% | 0% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-56 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McPherson County | 10 | 14% | 49 |
| 2 | Marion County | 9 | 13% | 32 |
| 3 | Gray County | 7 | 10% | 23 |
| 4 | Barton County | 5 | 7% | 33 |
| 5 | Douglas County | 5 | 7% | 76 |
| 6 | Ford County | 4 | 6% | 41 |
| 7 | Johnson County | 4 | 6% | 249 |
| 8 | Morris County | 4 | 6% | 15 |
| 9 | Osage County | 4 | 6% | 29 |
| 10 | Pawnee County | 4 | 6% | 16 |
| 11 | Dickinson County | 3 | 4% | 37 |
| 12 | Haskell County | 3 | 4% | 11 |
| 13 | Lyon County | 2 | 3% | 43 |
| 14 | Morton County | 2 | 3% | 5 |
| 15 | Stevens County | 2 | 3% | 13 |
| 16 | Rice County | 1 | 1% | 18 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 56 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Kansas share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 335–340 | 3 | 4% |
| Mile 80–85 | 2 | 3% |
| Mile 100–105 | 2 | 3% |
| Mile 120–125 | 2 | 3% |
| Mile 210–215 | 2 | 3% |
| Mile 250–255 | 2 | 3% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 72.5% of crashes on the route have a milepoint. Milepoints are as recorded by the state and can restart at county or district lines.
Other routes in Kansas
- Interstate 70 183
- Interstate 35 120
- US Route 54 104
- US Route 24 87
- US Route 50 83
- US Route 75 66
- US Route 160 64
- Interstate 135 57
- US Route 69 51
- US Route 169 50
- US Route 400 47
- US Route 59 38
All routes and counties in Kansas
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 56 in Kansas?
69 fatal crashes with 83 deaths over 2015–2024, per NHTSA's FARS. The route is the trafficway recorded for the crash; the same numbered route in another state has its own page.
Which counties along US Route 56 had the most fatal crashes?
McPherson County (10), Marion County (9), Gray County (7), Barton County (5) and Douglas County (5).
What share of crashes on US Route 56 involved alcohol or speeding?
23.2% had a driver reported as drinking and 20.3% a speeding-related driver, against 22.5% and 24.2% for all fatal crashes in Kansas.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 56?
30.4% of the crashes were between 6pm and 6am. The hour chart on this page shows the full distribution.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, annual national CSV files 2000–2024 (accident, vehicle and person tables), public domain. Route pages are built for signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology and corrections.