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Interstate 85
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 324Deaths 352Counties 14Latest 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.
Interstate 85 in North Carolina was the trafficway in 324 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 352 people died.
That is 2.3% of the 14,061 fatal crashes in North Carolina over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 48% from 219 in 2005–2014 to 324 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Mecklenburg County (71), Davidson County (37) and Guilford County (37) and 11 other counties.
25.0% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (North Carolina: 25.3%) and 36.4% had a speeding-related driver (31.8%); pedestrians were 17.9% and motorcyclists 5.7% 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 North Carolina
| Measure | Interstate 85 | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 324 | 14,061 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 352 | 15,192 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 2.3% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +48% | +9% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on I-85 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mecklenburg County | 71 | 22% | 992 |
| 2 | Davidson County | 37 | 11% | 282 |
| 3 | Guilford County | 37 | 11% | 607 |
| 4 | Gaston County | 34 | 10% | 267 |
| 5 | Granville County | 26 | 8% | 126 |
| 6 | Cabarrus County | 25 | 8% | 218 |
| 7 | Rowan County | 24 | 7% | 224 |
| 8 | Durham County | 18 | 6% | 285 |
| 9 | Orange County | 12 | 4% | 133 |
| 10 | Randolph County | 11 | 3% | 250 |
| 11 | Cleveland County | 9 | 3% | 193 |
| 12 | Vance County | 9 | 3% | 86 |
| 13 | Warren County | 6 | 2% | 61 |
| 14 | Alamance County | 5 | 2% | 200 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on Interstate 85 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the North Carolina share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 0–5 | 60 | 19% |
| Mile 5–10 | 49 | 15% |
| Mile 10–15 | 48 | 15% |
| Mile 15–20 | 20 | 6% |
| Mile 20–25 | 11 | 3% |
| Mile 25–30 | 2 | 1% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 59.9% 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 North Carolina
- Interstate 40 363
- US Route 70 318
- US Route 64 293
- US Route 74 256
- US Route 421 197
- Interstate 95 195
- US Route 17 188
- US Route 401 177
- US Route 29 163
- State Route 24 151
- US Route 158 138
- Interstate 77 132
All routes and counties in North Carolina
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on Interstate 85 in North Carolina?
324 fatal crashes with 352 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 Interstate 85 had the most fatal crashes?
Mecklenburg County (71), Davidson County (37), Guilford County (37), Gaston County (34) and Granville County (26).
What share of crashes on Interstate 85 involved alcohol or speeding?
25.0% had a driver reported as drinking and 36.4% a speeding-related driver, against 25.3% and 31.8% for all fatal crashes in North Carolina.
When do fatal crashes happen on Interstate 85?
58.5% 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.