Interstate 85 fatal crashes in North Carolina
FARS records 324 fatal crashes with 352 deaths on Interstate 85 in North Carolina from 2015 to 2024.
In 2024 it records 35 fatal crashes with 36 deaths on the route.
By fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, Interstate 85 was number 2 of the 77 routes of North Carolina with a page.
Fatal crashes on Interstate 85 rose by 47.9% between the ten years 2005 to 2014 (219) and the ten years 2015 to 2024 (324).
In North Carolina they rose by 9.4% between the same years.
From 2015 to 2024, motorcyclists were 5.7% of the deaths on Interstate 85 and 13.5% in North Carolina.
To qualify as a FARS case, the crash had to involve a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public and must have resulted in the death of a motorist or a non-motorist within 30 days of the crash.
The set of first files, known as the Annual Report File (ARF), is released following the crash year. The ARF is replaced about a year later with a final file, which contains additional cases or updates to cases that had become available after the ARF was released.
NHTSA's words. Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794, April 2026), copied on .
This page rests on the FARS 2024 annual file. NHTSA released it on . NHTSA can revise the counts in the final file. Release dates
Table 1 has the numbers. Go to the table
Since the last update: no figure of this route has a change on record.
Fatal crashes by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 35 | 36 |
| 2023 | 33 | 38 |
| 2022 | 39 | 42 |
| 2021 | 46 | 49 |
| 2020 | 27 | 29 |
| 2019 | 25 | 25 |
| 2018 | 33 | 38 |
| 2017 | 29 | 32 |
| 2016 | 34 | 37 |
| 2015 | 23 | 26 |
| 2014 | 25 | 27 |
| 2013 | 14 | 14 |
| 2012 | 15 | 15 |
| 2011 | 24 | 27 |
| 2010 | 23 | 23 |
| 2009 | 13 | 14 |
| 2008 | 21 | 26 |
| 2007 | 33 | 37 |
| 2006 | 24 | 25 |
| 2005 | 27 | 30 |
| 2004 | 30 | 40 |
| 2003 | 28 | 32 |
| 2002 | 30 | 33 |
| 2001 | 18 | 18 |
| 2000 | 25 | 30 |
Note: the route is the trafficway that FARS records for the crash. The records of routes start in 2000. A count of 1 or 2 is written "1 or 2".
Counties on the route
| County | On the route | On all roads of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Alamance County | 5 | 200 |
| Cabarrus County | 25 | 218 |
| Cleveland County | 9 | 193 |
| Davidson County | 37 | 282 |
| Durham County | 18 | 285 |
| Gaston County | 34 | 267 |
| Granville County | 26 | 126 |
| Guilford County | 37 | 607 |
| Mecklenburg County | 71 | 992 |
| Orange County | 12 | 133 |
| Randolph County | 11 | 250 |
| Rowan County | 24 | 224 |
| Vance County | 9 | 86 |
| Warren County | 6 | 61 |
Note: the table has the counties where FARS records a fatal crash on the route in these years.
Factors that NHTSA records
| Factor | Count | Counted among | Share | Share on all roads of North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A driver recorded as drinkingof 324 fatal crashes | 81 | 324 fatal crashes | 25.3% | |
| A speeding-related driverof 324 fatal crashes | 118 | 324 fatal crashes | 31.8% | |
| Pedestriansof 352 deaths | 63 | 352 deaths | 14.9% | |
| Motorcyclistsof 352 deaths | 20 | 352 deaths | 13.5% |
Note: FARS records a driver as drinking when police reported alcohol involvement or a test of the driver was positive for alcohol. It is not NHTSA's alcohol-impaired measure. One crash can be in two rows. NHTSA's definitions
Note that alcohol data is often missing. For that reason, this data element may under-count the actual number of drinking drivers.
Time of day
| Time of day | Fatal crashes | Share | Share on all roads of North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midnight to 6 a.m. | 114 | 35.3% | 17.4% |
| 6 a.m. to noon | 66 | 20.4% | 20.2% |
| Noon to 6 p.m. | 68 | 21.1% | 29.5% |
| 6 p.m. to midnight | 75 | 23.2% | 32.9% |
Note: the table has the fatal crashes with a known hour.
Mile ranges
| Milepoint | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Mile 0 to 5 | 60 |
| Mile 5 to 10 | 49 |
| Mile 10 to 15 | 48 |
| Mile 15 to 20 | 20 |
| Mile 20 to 25 | 11 |
| Mile 25 to 30 | 1 or 2 |
Note: the table has the six ranges of five miles with the largest counts, in the order of the milepoint. 59.9 percent of the fatal crashes on the route have a milepoint in FARS. A state can start its milepoints again at a county line.
Routes in the same counties
These routes of North Carolina have a fatal crash on record in one or more of the same counties. The list is for navigation. The number is the fatal crashes on the route from 2015 to 2024.
Official channels
- NHTSA Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST)NHTSA's query tool for FARS counts.
- NHTSA FARS EncyclopediaNHTSA's tables of FARS data.
- North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety ProgramThe highway safety office of North Carolina.
These links go to the sites of the agencies. They were checked on .
Cite this page
Fatal Roads. Interstate 85 fatal crashes in North Carolina. https://fatalroads.com/route/nc/i-85/. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, FARS 2024 annual file. Data to .
The address of this page does not change.
Source of the figures
Counts: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, national files of 2000 to 2024. A route page is built for a signed Interstate, US or state route with 20 or more fatal crashes in a state in ten years. Data to . The figures are totals. No page of this site is about one crash or one person.
How the figures are made. Data sources and licences. Corrections.
Questions
How many fatal crashes did FARS record on Interstate 85 in the ten years before 2015?
FARS records 219 fatal crashes on Interstate 85 in North Carolina from 2005 to 2014. It records 324 from 2015 to 2024.
What part of the fatal crashes in North Carolina was on Interstate 85?
324 of the 14,061 fatal crashes in North Carolina from 2015 to 2024 were on Interstate 85. That is 2.3 percent.
How many fatal crashes on Interstate 85 had a driver recorded as drinking?
FARS records a driver as drinking in 81 of 324 fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024. It records a speeding-related driver in 118 of them.
Does this page count the same route number in a different state?
No. This page counts the fatal crashes that FARS records on Interstate 85 in North Carolina only. The route in a different state has its own page.